2 posts tagged “hyundai”

This Autocade article brought back memories of the World Trade Fair at the Wellington Show Buildings in 1979, which I attended with my mother. Škoda, Hyundai and Volvo showed off their cars at the Fair, which in my opinion was never equalled with subsequent school holidays. I picked up the Hyundai Pony brochure and believe it had this photograph in it.
   What happened to those great, open-to-the-public trade fairs in New Zealand?

Hyundai Pony. 1975–85 (prod. unknown). 3-, 4- and 5-door sedan, 5-door wagon, 2-door pick-up. F/R, 1238, 1439, 1597 cm³ (4 cyl. SOHC). ItalDesign body—Giugiaro also did the original Volkswagen Golf—was smart and crisp for Pony’s 1975 launch, but it hid a structure that essentially followed those of the Morris Marina, mated to Mitsubishi running gear. The brainchild of George Turnbull, formerly of British Leyland, who believed that a simple platform such as the Marina’s was far more adaptable than BL believed. Engines aside, pretty dated technology even when new, but sold on simplicity and cheapness, and took Hyundai into many export markets in the 1970s and early 1980s. Usually takes the credit as the first all-Korean car, despite the foreign input. Pick-up added 1976 after original hatchback, wagon in 1977, three-door in 1980. Replacement Pony II began coming on stream in 1982, after which original range rationalized and replaced by 1985.

Holden Epica CDXi

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   The new model is actually the Daewoo Kalos, which was withdrawn from the New Zealand market about three years ago for being, well, crap.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.