Under the Samsung badge is a Nissan: the first SM3 was a rebranded Nissan Sunny/Bluebird Sylphy, built in South Korea by Renault Samsung and also sold as a Nissan Almera, Nissan Sunny, or Renault Scala depending where you were standing.
Lead trim: SM3 1.5 (QG15) · up to 104 hp
Renault Samsung SM3G10 · 2002–2009
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Renault Samsung SM3 yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactUnder the Samsung badge is a Nissan: the first SM3 was a rebranded Nissan Sunny/Bluebird Sylphy, built in South Korea by Renault Samsung and also sold as a Nissan Almera, Nissan Sunny, or Renault Scala depending where you were standing.
The first-generation Renault Samsung SM3 (G10) was a rebranded first-generation Nissan Sunny/Bluebird Sylphy made in South Korea by Renault Samsung Motors, production beginning in September 2002 in Busan; a facelift in August 2005 is known as the "SM3 New Generation". It has four versions and two Nissan four-cylinder petrol engines, the 1.5-litre QG15DE and the 1.6-litre QG16DE (with CVTC), the 1.6 added in July 2004 after South Korean automobile taxation changed (there had been a prohibitive threshold at 1.5 litres); transmissions are a 4-speed automatic and a 5-speed manual. It was also sold as the Nissan Almera Classic in Ukraine and Russia (from 2006), the Nissan Almera in Central and South America (Samsung in Chile), the Nissan Sunny in the Middle East and the Renault Scala in Mexico, Egypt and Colombia. In July 2009 it was renamed SM3 CE (Classic Edition) with only the 1.6-litre engine; the CE ended in Korea in 2011 and production, for Russia and Peru under the Nissan brand, ended in 2013. Wheelbase 99.8 in and length 177.6 in; the width and height (two values each) and weight ranges are not entered.
Collectors Spotted in the Renault Samsung SM3 Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Renault Samsung SM3 yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SM3 1.5 (QG15) | 2002–2009 | 1.5 L Inline-4 | 99 hp | 100 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| SM3 1.6 (QG16, from July 2004) | 2004–2009 | 1.6 L Inline-4 | 104 hp | 107 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The SM3's electric Z.E. version launched into Korean production in 2013 and immediately took over: a 58% share of the country's entire EV market that year, on just 453 cars sold.
Under the Samsung badge is a Nissan: the first SM3 was a rebranded Nissan Sunny/Bluebird Sylphy, built in South Korea by Renault Samsung and also sold as a Nissan Almera, Nissan Sunny, or Renault Scala depending where you were standing.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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