10 posts tagged “daewoo”

For some reason my brain has stopped working this Saturday, which can only benefit Autocade. Here are some of the models that were recently added, including some very rare Korean models. In fact, these are so rare there is no detailed mention of them on Wikipedia (the site I love to hate) yet the first listed here, the Saenara, is an important milestone in the history of the Korean motor industry, being its first proper passenger car. All four were built by companies that eventually became Daewoo.

Saenara (P310). 1962–3 (prod. 2,773). 4-door sedan. F/R, 1189 cm³ (4 cyl. OHV). Korean edition of Nissan Bluebird (P310), Korea’s first locally produced postwar sedan. Built on what was a modern assembly line. Styling, while 1950s in flavour, considered attractive in the Korean home market. Engine derived from Austin unit, with 55 hp.

Chevrolet 1700. 1972–8 (prod. 8,105). 4-door sedan, 5-door wagon. F/R, 1692 cm³ (4 cyl. CIH). Holden Torana (LJ), made by Saehan of Korea. Essentially a facsimile of the Australian original, but for an unusual station wagon model that looked more like an Opel at the back. Robust, but a failure on the Korean market, thanks to a perception that it was thirsty (the oil crisis did not help). In theory replaced by facelifted Camina in 1976, though it ran alongside it.

Camina. 1976–8 (prod. unknown). 4-door sedan. F/R, 1492 cm³ (4 cyl. CIH). Facelifted Holden Torana (LJ). No Chevrolet badge; made by GM Korea venture Saehan. Ran concurrently with Chevrolet 1700, which had proved a flop in Korea. Fairly tidy facelift, with the more modern, if bland, Chevrolet-like front end blending well with Torana’s mid-Pacific styling. Short production, and replaced (none too soon) by the Saehan Gemini, a version of the Isuzu Gemini (1976–9).

Daewoo Imperial. 1989–93 (prod. unknown). 4-door sedan. F/R, 2969 cm³ (6 cyl. OHC). Poshest vehicle on the GM V-car (Opel Rekord E) platform, Imperial was the ultimate development of the series at Daewoo. Conceived as a response to the Hyundai Sonata and Grandeur, with styling apeing top Chryslers (notably the last Imperial and the New Yorker) and Japanese luxury sedans. Formal roofline, and new front and rear ends, hid the Opel Senator roots. Double-D ornament on grille. Engine size meant to surpass what Hyundai had put in to the Sonata—the unit was shared with the Senator, and developed 156 hp.

Here are some executive cars that you might not have come across—or you may have, but not often. A few entries on Autocade. I was going to say how none of them are German, but some of you might argue the first one is—sort of.

Daewoo Prince. 1991–7 (prod. unknown). 4-door sedan. F/R, 1796, 1998 cm³ (4 cyl. OHC), 1998 cm³ (4 cyl. DOHC). Development of earlier Opel Commodore C-based Royale (GM V-car), but with some new sheetmetal. Prince, like Royale, had ideas above its station and was marketed as a large, luxury car in Korea. Dated at this point but considered a top model for Daewoo (below the similar Royal Salon and Brougham), until it began developing models of its own.

Daewoo Arcadia. 1993–2000 (prod. unknown). 4-door sedan. F/F, 3206 cm³ (V6 OHC). Daewoo flagship was in fact a rebadged Honda Legend (1990–6), but not as popular as Hyundai rival. Very refined, as Honda originally anticipated an upmarket move with this generation of Legend. Not directly replaced.

Fiat Argenta. 1981–6 (prod. unknown). 4-door saloon. F/R, 1585, 1995 cm³ petrol (4 cyl. DOHC), 2445 cm³ diesel (4 cyl. OHC). Rebodied 132 marketed as all-new car but evidently not. Narrow, 1960s thinking in car that was first released as 132 in the early 1970s. Adequate at best though equipment levels not bad for the era. Facelift for 1984 saw corporate five-bar grille, and addition of supercharged VX and turbodiesel models.

Renault Vel Satis. 2002 to date (prod. unknown). 5-door saloon. F/F, 1998 cm³ petrol, 1995, 2188 cm³ diesel (4 cyl. DOHC), 2958 cm³ diesel, 3498 cm³ petrol (V6 DOHC). Unable to confront BMW 5er-Reihe and German executive saloons, Renault went on an original path with Vel Satis. Show car from late 1990s was sleek and modern; production car upright. High seating position, apeing Espace minivan in some respects. Not as capable as Germans, but sold on unusual design. Poor ride, handling, with automatic gearbox leaving something to be desired. Same platform as Laguna II and Espace IV. Facelift shown April 2005, with no RHD models from then.

I have not put too many SUVs into Autocade. I guess they don’t do much for me. There are a few exceptions, beginning with the crossover range that was 25 years ahead of its time, from AMC. And a few more that might be of interest.

AMC Eagle. 1980–8 (prod. 197,449). 3-door coupé, 2-, 3- and 4-door sedan, 5-door wagon. F/A, 2464, 2474 cm³ (4 cyl. OHV), 4229 cm³ (6 cyl. OHC). First crossover four-wheel-drive family car range, marrying Ferguson system to AMC Concord body styles. Wheelbase 1 in longer than Concord and cars much taller; 20 years ahead of their time given the crossover SUV craze of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Reliable thanks to long prior product life of the donor technologies. Sedans and wagon only in 1980, Kammback and SX/4 (based on AMC Spirit) followed in 1981. With Renault Alliance production gearing up, Kammback and SX/4 deleted after 1982 and 1983 respectively; by 1988, only wagon remained, selling a few thousand units. Canadian production only from 1984. Last AMC-developed range of cars. Chrysler takeover meant that 1988s were officially called Eagle Wagon, though AMC badges remained on the car.

Daewoo Winstorm. 2006 to date (prod. unknown). 5-door SUV. F/F, F/A, 1991 cm³ diesel (4 cyl. OHC), 2405 cm³ petrol (4 cyl. DOHC), 3195 cm³ (V6 DOHC). SUV on GM Theta platform and sister car to Opel (and Vauxhall) Antara and Saturn Vue, built on the same production line in Korea. Sold as Chevrolet and Holden Captiva, with two- and four-wheel-drive models. Developed mostly by Daewoo with late input from Europeans and Australians. Originally previewed as the Daewoo S3X show car in 2004; production model follows the design reasonably closely. Rugged styling does not express any particular brand’s values but is a better executed effort than many other Daewoos.

Ford Everest (U268). 2003–6 (prod. unknown). 5-door SUV. F/R, F/A, 2499 cm³ diesel (4 cyl. DOHC), 2606 cm³ (4 cyl. OHC). Mazda truck-based SUV for Asian markets and in the Bahamas from Ford. Truck origins all too evident, so less refined than the likes of Escape or Explorer, though marketed in some countries as Ford’s SUV flagship.

Samsung QM5. 2007 to date (prod. unknown). 5-door estate. F/F, F/A, 1995 cm³ diesel, 2488 cm³ petrol (4 cyl. DOHC). Plain-looking SUV from Renault–Samsung, with platform shared with Nissan X-Trail. Dull though well made interior, good ride but average handling. Previewed as Samsung QMX show car. Exported with Renault grille as Renault Koleos. Export models had petrol engine before home-market one.

Volkswagen Touareg. 2003 to date (prod. unknown). 5-door SUV. F/A, 2460 cm³ diesel (5 cyl. OHC), 2967 cm³ diesel, 3580 cm³ petrol (V6 DOHC), 4163 cm³ (V8 DOHC), 4921 cm³ diesel (V10 OHC), 5998 cm³ (W12 DOHC). Second of the VW–Audi–Porsche 7L-platform vehicles to launch, in an attempt to get the SUV market in US. Aim was to develop an SUV with sports car-like behaviour on the road. No third-row seats, so accommodation not as great as rivals’. V10 TDI regarded as environmentally unfriendly in US and eventually pulled from that market. Mid-term facelift in 2006.

The Opel Insignia’s shape has grown on me but it is almost too contemporary—suited to today’s trends, so how will it look come 2011? Still, it is miles better than the Daewoo Tosca that is sold in New Zealand with Holden badges. The Vectra C’s replacement should always have been the Insignia in this market, too—I am seeing the Tosca trounced by Camry, Mazda Atenza and Ford Mondeo.
   The first video is a bit dull but the second has interior and exterior shots, filmed against the London background.
   This car has won Car of the Year in Europe and the Gelben Engel from ADAC (the German Automobile Club). In other words, some people think it’s a world-beater, but I don’t believe it will head to the US. There are rumours it could come Down Under to supplant the awful Tosca.
   We do know it sells in China with Buick badges.
   What a shame it has come while GM is in such deep trouble—everyone is focusing on the troubles and not the car.

A few interesting things to note about cars in India.
   The Hindustan Ambassador is still plentiful in number. Though outwardly identical to the Morris Oxford of the 1950s, it is regarded as India’s first national car, rather than the Tata Indica. Cab drivers and government types prefer Ambis, and the big shots have white Ambis with a light on the top of the leading edge of the roof.
   A few of my hosts and friends knew of the Premier Padmini when I brought up the topic, but young people did not. I only saw two in my time there, one in Indore and one in New Delhi. They tell me they are more plentiful in Bombay—the majority of Indians I met referred to their southern city by this name, not Mumbai.
   The Hindustan Contessa, Premier 118 NE and the Standard 2000 were flops, so there was no surprise that they were totally unseen during my time there.
   Maruti is the market leader, and there are 800s everywhere. Maruti is expanding its line-up: the Swift DZire (four-door Swift) and SX4 sedan being newer entrants, appealing to Indians who like the size. DZire is doing well, despite a silly name; in Indore, SX4 taxicabs regularly ferried me twice. The regular Swift hatchback is also sold there, but it’s still the 800 that pushes the Maruti–Suzuki name. I was saddened to see the demise of the Maruti symbol, however, on the latest models, in favour of the Suzuki S.
   From my brief time there, it’s fairly safe to say that very, very few Sipanis and Standard Heralds and Gazels have survived. I saw none.
   I saw only two Tata Indica Vistas, or V3s.
   It took till my second day to see a Tata Indigo Marina. The Tata cars are popular but regarded by the locals more as a car produced by a truck manufacturer and not as refined as Japanese brands—although many of the Japanese and Korean brands are actually made by Indians and have quality equal to, if not better than, what emerges from Japan and Korea.
   There are a lot of Tata Indicas and Indigos.
   There are numerous Mahindra Scorpios and Tata Safaris, as some Indians go for SUVs. Let’s hope this trend doesn’t last. We should be copying them with their subcompact cars, not the other way around.
   Hyundai is growing like crazy and the i20 is a big deal, though it was too soon after the launch to spot any on the roads. However, there are plenty of i10s, which are made in India for the world market.
   Honda is considered a premium make, and the City (Fit Aria) is a big seller. The latest model is advertised on billboards around Gurgaon, and I managed to see one of these. Civics are considered quite upscale, especially considering India receives the fancy Thai-made sedan. The Accord is very flash.
   Both Hyundai and Honda are arguably in a better position than Honda, which began its market assault on India with the Innova, a utility vehicle that some taxi drivers adopted. It has been harder for Toyota to establish a name for itself as a manufacturer of passenger cars. The Corolla Altis (E120) is gaining ground, but not as successfully as one might think.
   GM is very thin on the ground. Daewoos are rebadged as Chevrolets, and there are a few Matizes, Kaloses and Lacettis around, with other model names. Of earlier efforts, there are some four-door (booted) Opel Corsas about, but not many. Fiat also failed: I saw one Uno, and a handful of Palios. One expected better from this master of small cars.
   Of American brands, Ford is doing an incredible job and its Ikon and Fiesta models seem to have done very well, certainly better than Toyota. The Fiesta is more advanced than any compact that Ford sells in the US.
   As in Roma, there is a sense of rhythm to driving in India. Appearing chaotic at first glance, the road rules make some sense if you drive, or are driven, for long enough. I am actually game to give it a shot.

This is a pretty fancy selection from a suburban Daewoo dealer.

As typos go, this one, at Chevrolet’s Ukraine website selling the Daewoo Gentra X (a.k.a. Chevrolet Aveo), is pretty embarrassing thanks to its prominence. I realize it’s probably the typist’s second language and the Latin alphabet is foreign to him or her. But one would expect it to have been picked up somewhere along the line, or shall I ‘Get Real’ as the ad suggests?

The last time they made a car called the Chevrolet Cruze, it was a rebodied Suzuki Wagon R:

and, before Holden started selling Daewoo Kaloses, was considered the worst model in its range when it was rebadged with the Aussie lion on the grille.
   This time, it seems Chevrolet Cruze will be the export name for the Daewoo Lacetti replacement in Europe and the US. It doesn’t look very American at all—as usual, it looks Korean, which it is. The good news is that the platform is shared with the next Opel Astra and engineered in Rüsselsheim. The front grille is reminiscent of the Gentra, though the lights are more aggressive. The rear is similar to the Daewoo Tosca:

   Speaking of dodgy Daewoos, I saw, in the metal, the new Holden Barina—Daewoo Gentra X in its country of origin—and the transformation is not very pleasant. The grille does not have a centralized Holden lion badge: it’s placed higher within the grille. Here’s the original Korean model as on Autocade for reference:

 
   I imagine that New Zealand is not going to be far behind Australia, given that the news reports of the facelifted Barina only appeared in the Aussie press earlier this week. Admittedly, I thought I was looking at a Škoda Fabia at first glance, then I had the misfortune of seeing the rest of it. I just hope, for buyers’ sake, this car is safer than the old Kalos.

It’s no secret that I hate the Daewoo Tosca (a.k.a. Chevrolet Epica or Holden Epica): a car that may be less safe relative to the competition and utterly outclassed even by a second-hand 2002 Japanese or European car. It has replaced the Australian-market Toyota Avalon in that part of my brain, and comes close to the Ssangyong Rodent Odious (Rodius for short; called Stavic in countries where they can work out the original two words).
  It seems the Irish press, as with the New Zealand Automobile Association, agrees with me, as I read this at RTÉ about the six-cylinder model:

Compared to the new Mondeo, Epica is years behind in the handling stakes. Chevrolet is quick to stress that Epica is targeted at a different buyer. Fans of the old V6 Nissan Maxima are in the sights of the multinational brand—I must rush and dust off the cardigan!
   Prices kick off at €26,995, which is way more than the entry level Ford Mondeo, which is a better car! …
   So is Epica, which was born out of the ashes of the incredibly dull Daewoo Leganza, worth the cash? 
   Eh... no.

   An Australian mechanic writes, saying caveat emptor:

Speaking from a mechanics point of view, nothing that came out of the Daewoo factory before 2005 looked like it would stand the test of time. I am not qualified to offer an opinion on post-2005 cars as I haven’t picked up a spanner in two years due to a back injury and shut-up shop in early 2006. Some of the common problems that we saw were timing belt failure due to a plastic tensioner pulley, twice in 30,000km on one vehicle and Holden refused a warranty claim as the car was older than three years but had travelled only 68,000km when the second belt failed. On both occasions the repairs were done at a Holden dealership yet they wouldn’t honour their repair guarantee. Admitting a design fault was out of the question I guess!
   Horribly soft brake rotors was another issue we encountered. It was not unusual for the rotors to need machining at every service due to being out of round causing pedal and steering wheel vibrations. Holden’s answer to this one—the car must have been driven through water when the discs were hot. More than likely this was the case, so what are you supposed to do? Not drive the car if there is any water on the road?! Disc rotors are not made as well as they used to be, but this is just ridiculous!

   I may be in the market for a Vectra D or a new Laguna, or even the new Mondeo. I now won’t automatically consider renting from Avis in case I get landed with a Tosca, despite being one of its Platinum customers. I just won’t jeopardize my life in a car that might not score better than three stars at NCAP (we don’t know yet, but its immediate predecessors were relatively unsafe cars). It is probably the dullest car on Earth, too, and I might be tempted to smash it to (a) get a thrill or (b) improve its looks.

On my main blog, I have talked about the Holden Epica (née Daewoo Tosca). This is probably, uniformly, the worst mid-sized car on the market in New Zealand. I also happen to think it’s the ugliest.
   Last year, Holden began selling the new Barina. What it neglected to tell you was that the new model scored two stars in various safety tests. The model it replaced scored four.
   The new model is actually the Daewoo Kalos, which was withdrawn from the New Zealand market about three years ago for being, well, crap.
   Now, we have the Tosca. The Tosca is actually derived from the old Daewoo Leganza of the mid-1990s. In fact, the platform is older than the Vectra C’s, the car the Tosca replaces in New Zealand.
   The Leganza, too, was not the safest car in its day. The Australian testers, who gave it two and a half stars, noted, ‘The Leganza did not perform well in the offset crash test (0.9pts out of 16). The passenger compartment was substantially deformed. The driver's contact with the airbag was unstable. The passenger hit the dash, with a moderate risk of life threatening head injury. Protection from serious leg injury was poor for the driver.’
   To be fair, the Tosca, or Epica, is a lot safer than the old Leganza. But it doesn’t mean it isn’t junk.
   Many of the driving impressions that Australian journalists have done indicate that this car is the bottom of the heap. If you must buy a Korean-built car, go over to Hyundai or Kia. Both the Hyundai Sonata and the Kia Magentis fared better in at least one test.
   If you are buying a Holden Vectra—a superior car to the Epica—ask the dealer when the car left the factory. I have nothing to base this on other than an educated opinion, but I believe the New Zealand-market 2007 Vectras left the factory some time in 2005. There should be a way for a buyer to check the chassis and production numbers. My belief is no Vectras have left the German factory with the 2003-model grille for some time.
   I have been on Holden’s back about these cars for over a year, because I think Kiwis are getting a raw deal. Meanwhile, Ford, Toyota and Hyundai will be bracing themselves for extra buyers.