Renault Samsung cruises over 1st decade

When Renault Samsung finished merging midway through 2000, some predicted that the Seoul-based outfit would struggle in the saturated domestic market where an established set of big-name carmakers generate stiff competition. 

Renault Samsung’s Busan production lines are famous for their five-tier quality control system. / Courtesy of Renault Samsung

Ten years after its debut, however, Renault Samsung silences the naysayers once and for all by chalking up impressive performances in terms of production capacities and payrolls. 

Back in 2000, the company started off with less than 2,000 employees to sell around 3,000 vehicles a month. The figures jumped to upside of 7,600 workers and 21,000 units as of the first quarter of this year. 

While substantially jacking up its market share, the Korean subsidiary of French-headquartered Renault did not forget about the bottom line ― it has racked up profits over eight years in a row since 2002.