Renault Korea Model History

South Korea · founded 1994

Successor to Samsung Motors — a Busan-based automaker that brought Renault technology to South Korea and produced the SM and QM lines for over two decades.

Models

SM5

The original Samsung Motors launch model — a Nissan Cefiro-based large sedan that anchored the brand for 21 years across three generations.

Mid-size car · 1998–2019
SM3

Renault Samsung's entry-level compact — first a rebadged Nissan Bluebird Sylphy, then a Renault Fluence twin, plus a pioneering battery-electric variant.

Compact car · 2002–2019
SM7

Renault Samsung's executive flagship sedan — derived from the Nissan Teana, it sat above the SM5 for 15 years.

Full-size car · 2004–2019
SM6

A Renault Talisman twin built in Busan — the SM6 was the last remaining Samsung-badged model and the final sedan in the lineup before its 2025 discontinuation.

Mid-size car · 2016–2025
QM5

Renault Samsung's first SUV — a rebadged second-generation Renault Koleos (Nissan X-Trail platform) that opened the brand's crossover era.

Compact SUV · 2007–2016
QM3

A rebadged Renault Captur that brought subcompact crossover fashion to the Korean market from 2013 to 2019.

Subcompact SUV · 2013–2019
QM6

Renault Samsung's bestselling mid-size SUV — a second-generation Renault Koleos built in Busan from 2016, later rebranded as the Renault Koleos in the Korean market.

Mid-size SUV · 2016–2024
XM3

A coupe-crossover built on the CMF-B platform — sold as the XM3 in Korea from 2020 to 2024 before transitioning to the Renault Arkana name.

Subcompact crossover · 2020–2024
Arkana

The renamed successor to the XM3 — Renault Korea's coupe-crossover continued under the global Arkana badge from 2024 onward.

Subcompact crossover · 2024–present
Grand Koleos

Renault Korea's first Geely-platform model — a mid-size SUV introduced in June 2024 on the Compact Modular Architecture shared with the Geely Xingyue L.

Mid-size SUV · 2024–present

Other makes