The Making Of The Daewoo Small Car
The first-ever link between Daewoo Motors and India was when the chaebol decided to buy three-cylinder engine blocks for its Maruti Suzuki 800 clone, Tico, from DCM Toyota.
The Daewoo Tico was the only small car in the sub 800cc segment in South Korea that attracted lower sales tax, and prompted the Korean car buyer to think small when it comes to picking up a set of wheels.
When it came to replacing the Tico, Daewoo picked up an international design but stuck to the tried and tested three-cylinder engine. And the Matiz was born from the Project M-100 platform.
It all began with Daewoo's ambition to become one of the 10 leading global auto majors by the year 2000 .Matiz was the last of the four models which Daewoo designed and manufactured on its own to help to achieve its globalisation plan.
In spite of having sold nearly 5,50,000 Ticos till date, Daewoo knew that the model lacked international specifications for safety and emission norms which stunted its export potential.
Hence, the focus for the new model was on enhanced safety standards, higher emission norms and spaciousness in design since these were the global requirements in a small car. With these parameters in mind, Daewoo started off with its M-100 project in early September 1995. Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro was roped in for the purpose. He gave it the mono volume design for an aerodynamic style to endure greater stability and safety. Giorgetto had initially designed the car for Fiat as far back as in 1992 but the concept had been rejected by the Italian carmaker until Daewoo picked it up in 1995. The project involved assistance from more than 21 engineering units and more than 200 vendors spread over 7 cities. Besides, technical assistance was also sought from the Worthing Technical Centre in UK and the Munich Technical Centre in Germany for the overall compact designing of the car.
Remember, Daewoo has none other than the legendary Dr Ulrich Bez of BMW and Porsche fame with them to oversee technical developments. However, the interior designing was left to Daewoo's time tested in-house engineers who worked round the clock to ensure a world class small car model which incorporated every conceivable modern gadgetry to provide functional utility to the customers.
Hence, dual airbags to provide safeguard against frontal crashes, power steering, power window, power doorlock, foldable rear seat and a remote fuel lid opener coupled with a CD changer were thrown in to please even the ultimate hedonist.
Finally, after spending 29 months in various stages of development, the Matiz finally rolled out from Daewoo's Changwon plant in Korea in March 1998, making it one of the fastest deliveries in automobile history.
In India, the Matiz has been moulded slightly to conform to the local road conditions, says S G Awasthi, managing director, Daewoo Motor India. Hence, the ground clearance has been raised higher, the suspensions have also been touched up and adjustments have been made for the fuel quality available in India.
The car, which has already done 1.8 million kilometre of testing internationally, has undergone 160 crash tests including 70 sled tests. For the environmental tests, the Matiz was taken up to the Swedish cold spots and the sweltering Australian desert patches to ensure its quality performance in, both, hot and cold climates. In India, the Matiz has till now undergone 80,000 kilometres of road testing which is one of the highest levels till date.
The Matiz, which will be launched today will sport an 800cc petrol engine that will be fed by a multi-point fuel injection system that raises the power output to 52 bhp from the 38.5 of the Maruti 800. The car will initially have three variants: the basic model; another one fully loaded with power steering and central locking; and the semi-automatic version that will have no conventional clutch but will feature a manual five-speed operation.
Commenting on the 796cc engine, Choi says, "We should not be obsessed with the displacement of the engine for even this 796cc produces a 52 bhp with a torque of 7.3 kg-m comparable to 1000cc engines. Besides, it has the multi-point fuel injection technology coupled with the 8-bit computerised electronic engine management system to ensure a powerful performance."