Renault Korea SM5 History
History
The SM5 was the first car sold by Samsung Motors, going on sale on 5 March 1998. The inaugural generation was a rebadged fourth-generation Nissan Maxima/Cefiro (A32 platform), sharing that car's 2.0- and 2.5-litre VQ-series V6 engines; it captured roughly 4 % of the Korean market in its first year with 41,593 units sold.
Following Renault's acquisition of a 70 % stake in 2000, the SM5 continued through two more generations that drew increasingly on Renault-Nissan Alliance platforms. The second generation launched in 2005 and a third generation arrived in 2010. All three generations positioned the SM5 as an upmarket mid-size option against the Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima in South Korea.
Production of the SM5 ended in June 2019 after approximately 750,000 cumulative units built in the Busan plant over 21 years, making it the brand's highest-volume sedan across its entire history.
Generations
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First generation (A32) · A32
Photo: “1998 Samsung SM530L KPQ Black (1)” by Damian B Oh / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
Rebadged Nissan Maxima/Cefiro A32 — the original Samsung Motors launch car with VQ-series V6 engines.
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1998 Photo: “1998 Samsung SM530L KPQ Black (1)” by Damian B Oh / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
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Second generation · L43
Photo: “000 Samsung SM5 (second generation) 1” by Benespit / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
Renault-era redesign retaining large-sedan positioning; introduced Renault Alliance platform influence.
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Third generation
Photo: “00 Samsung SM5 (third generation) 6” by Benespit / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
Final SM5 generation; produced until June 2019 and the brand's longest-running sedan nameplate.
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2015 Photo: “RENAULT SAMSUNG SM5 Nova L43 2015 001” by CEFICEFI / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
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Body styles
- Sedan
Related models