Daewoo has announced Irish prices for its new Nubira model range, the first new model in a busy revamp of the range since the takeover by General Motors (GM).
The prices were released amid reports of a $1 billion (€870 million) investment by GM Daewoo Auto & Technology in the South Korean auto firm. Most of the investment will go into a much-needed modernisation of the range and to start local diesel production. Daewoo is due to offer diesel models from 2005.
These are likely to come from the Fiat-GM powertrain joint venture, featuring the 1.3-litre and 1.9-litre common-rail engines.
Aimed at taking on the likes of the Toyota Corolla, Opel Astra and Ford Focus, Nubira prices start at €18,500 ex-works for the 1.6-litres SX.
That's €1,180 less than the equivalent Corolla, €1,990 less than the Astra Njoy and €2,210 less than the Focus LX. The 1.8-litre Nubira starts at €23,000 for the manual and tops at €24,500 for the automatic.
The most impressive factor in the pricing is that it is merely €4,000 more than in Germany, at a time when Irish prices can be up to a third more expensive than their German counterparts.
On a recent test drive of the car we were impressed by the high level of standard features, including ABS, dual airbags and radio/CD.
