Bankruptcy in 1990s, but Daewoo concept car is still ahead?

Speaking of Daewoo Motors, some young people may not have heard of it. Daewoo was one of three largest car companies in South Korea, as famous as Hyundai and Kia. Later, due to rapid expansion and 1997 Asian financial crisis, Daewoo went bankrupt. After General Motors in US went bankrupt, Daewoo was acquired and Daewoo became General Motors' headquarters for Asian market at time.

This article features 3 Daewoo concept cars. Unfortunately, Daewoo went bankrupt even before they were mass-produced.

In 1994, Daewoo acquired Worthing Technology Center in UK to expand its development capabilities. That same year, Daewoo Motor set up a dedicated design center at Daewoo Motor Corporation in Bavaria, Germany. It can be seen that at that time Daewoo Motors focused on study of international design.

So, in this article, we will briefly talk about three concept vehicles developed by Daewoo at that time.

Daewoo Crane (Bukran) 1995

This concept car was unveiled at 1995 Seoul Auto Show. It has a double door and gull-wing windows. This design is also very unique. But so far there is not a single model with gullwing windows on market.

Because it's a four-seater coupe. Inspired by cars from 1960s, its exterior design is particularly reminiscent of a flying "bullet". There is a very slender hood and a huge fastback.

The body of this car is still made of carbon fiber, which was a rarity at time.

Concept cars with gullwing windows are cool but impractical. Its body pillar is different from what we are used to, but has a vertical B-pillar design. At the time, this concept car used a 3.2-liter V6 engine and a four-speed automatic transmission.

Daewoo Maya (Miya) 1996

Daewoo Maia (Mya) is a concept car presented by Daewoo Motors at International Motor Show in Birmingham, England, in October 1996. The Maia is being developed by Daewoo Worthing Technology Center (DWTC) in UK. It was a two-door sports car and was supposed to be launched in UK, but in end, due to Daewoo's debts, it could not be launched.

The design of this car is especially rich, and its shape resembles a butterfly door. The body does not use complex lines, but uses many curved surfaces.

This vehicle uses a 2+2 seating configuration. The suspension uses a McPherson front and a multi-link rear design. The engine is equipped with a 136-horsepower 2.0-liter unit. It's a pity that this concept car was produced for only one year, and Daewoo Motors went bankrupt.

1997_Daewoo_Joyster

Following Daewoo Maia concept car (which showcased an innovative sports car design), another concept car from Daewoo is Joyster concept car. The Joatic concept debuted at 1997 Seoul Auto Show.

The Daewoo Joyste concept car was released in 1997. It is a concept vehicle in form of a two-seater sports car. It uses a MacPherson front and a multi-link rear design. It uses a 1.5L inline four-cylinder engine. engine with a capacity of 90 horsepower and 139 Nm. It's not a big sports car, but a small sports car. Daewoo released this car as well to highlight design.

Daewoo Group, parent company of Daewoo Motor, began to emerge from financial crisis in second half of 1997. Therefore, Daewoo Group still exists in South Korea at present time, but Daewoo Motors (Daewoo Motors) is bankrupt.