Daewoo Nubira

Daewoo Nubira

Manufacturer	Daewoo Motors
Also called	Doninvest Orion
Production	1997–2008
Assembly	Gunsan, South Korea Craiova, Romania (Rodae) Cairo, Egypt (Daewoo Motors Egypt, since 1997) Zaporizhia, Ukraine (AvtoZAZ) Warsaw, Poland (FSO) Hanoi, Vietnam (VIDAMCO)
Predecessor	Daewoo Nexia
Successor	Daewoo Lacetti
Class	Compact / Small family car
Body style	4-door sedan 5-door hatchback 5-door station wagon
Layout	FF layout
Engine	2.0L 129 horsepower (96 kW) I4
Transmission	4-speed automatic 5-speed manual
Wheelbase	101.2 in (2,570 mm)
Length	Hatchback: 167.2 in (4,247 mm) 1999 Sedan: 175.9 in (4,468 mm) 1999 Wagon: 177.7 in (4,514 mm) 2000–02 Sedan: 177.0 in (4,496 mm) 2000–02 Wagon: 179.0 in (4,547 mm)
Width	66.9 in (1,699 mm) 2000-02 Wagon: 67.7 in (1,720 mm)
Height	Hatchback & 1999 Sedan: 56.1 in (1,425 mm) 1999 Wagon: 56.4 in (1,433 mm) 2000-02 Sedan: 56.3 in (1,430 mm) 2000-02 Wagon: 57.9 in (1,471 mm)

The Daewoo Nubira is a compact car produced by South Korean automaker Daewoo Motors from 1997 to 2008.

Overview

The first generation car, model J100, was released to the market in 1997 as Daewoo Nubira, and was sold until 1999. It was developed as a replacement for the GM T platform-based Daewoo Nexia and designed by Italian I.DE.A Institute. Engineering was carried out at Daewoo's now defunct Worthing Technical Centre in the United Kingdom. Sedan, hatchback and station wagon models were available.

In 2000, the first generation underwent over 90 improvements and was re-released as model J150 Daewoo Nubira. In the Korean market, J150 was marketed as Daewoo Nubira II. Examples of these include an increase in passenger space and reduction in noise, harshness and vibration, particularly from the engine by adding a fourth engine mount and by tuning the intake resonators. In addition, the exterior design was reworked by Daewoo's Worthing Technical Centre in the United Kingdom, creating a more dynamic image.

In 2004, the European Nubira was replaced by the Daewoo Lacetti (model J200), a new Pininfarina-designed sedan, was unveiled, and the expansion of the lineup followed by a presentation of the new station wagon in 2005. However, in some European markets, the Nubira name was kept for the sedans and the station wagons.

The Nubira, along with Daewoo's Lanos and Leganza, was sold in the United States and Canada starting from 1999. For the 1999 model year, the J100 model was sold, but from 2000 to 2002 the revised second-generation J150 became available. Daewoo had a difficult time trying to enter the US auto market, and by 2001, the fledgling Daewoo Motor America was in trouble. After the 2002 model year, Daewoo's short stint in the United States was over. The many remaining Nubiras were auctioned-off to willing dealerships, where some sat for as long as three years before being sold-off. Because Daewoo never made it very far in America, the cars are relatively obscure, if not rare, and finding parts for them can be difficult. In 2004, the Suzuki Forenza replaced the Nubira in the US.

The Daewoo Nubira was sold as a 4-door sedan, 5-door hatchback, and a station wagon. Buyers could opt for either the base "SE" models or the premium "CDX". The CDX had many improvements over the SE, such as ABS, heated mirrors, and an in-dash CD player. Both trims had the manual transmission as a standard feature, with the option of a 4-speed auto.

United States Nubira models came equipped with a Dual-overhead cam 16-valve 2.0-liter inline-4 General Motors "D-Tec" gasoline engine paired with either a GM 4T40-E 4-speed automatic or a Daewoo-designed D-20 five-speed manual transaxle. This 2.0L engine could produce up to 136Ft-Lbs torque at 4,400RPM, had a 3.4" stroke and a 3.4" bore and at 5,400RPM could produce 129bhp. International market Nubiras had a choice of 1.6, 1.8 or 2.0-litre L4 gasoline engines: no diesel version was ever offered, although the Worthing Technical Centre installed Renault's F8 1.9-litre engine in a small number of test vehicles, under a development programme known as J151.

The Nubira was briefly produced from CKD kits on Taganrog, Russia TagAZ factory; it was marketed as the Doninvest Orion.

Until 2008, Daewoo Nubira was produced in Romania in a former Daewoo factory which had the licence from GM Daewoo. The Daewoo Nubira is still produced in Egypt, 2008, in a former Daewoo factory which has the licence from GM Daewoo.

The name Nubira is an Esperanto word, which means "cloud-going."

Gallery

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  Daewoo Nubira hatchback

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  1997-2000 Daewoo Nubira sedan

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  2000-2002 Daewoo Nubira sedan (Canada)

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  2000-2002 Daewoo Nubira wagon (US)

See also

• Daewoo Lacetti

External links

• DaewooTech.com - Friendly forum (English speaking) for Daewoo owners.