Daewoo’s princely lineup of sedans had successful reign

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Daewoo’s princely lineup of sedans had successful reign

The Prince ruled one era of the local automotive scene, then quickly faded into obscurity in another.

In its heyday, the Prince series was a symbol of the middle class, a growth engine for its maker Daewoo Motor and a major headache for rival Hyundai Motor.

The midsized sedan was first introduced in 1983 as the Royal Prince, a name that provides some hints as to its origin. Saehan Motor initially manufactured the Royal series, and its successor Daewoo Motor continued selling and improving what ranked as one of the best-selling lines of vehicles at the time. The Royal Prince was the last in the Royal series and the first in the Prince line. The Prince was released in 1991, followed by the New Prince in 1996.

Because the Prince series was made based on the Rekord E by German automaker Opel - even using some of the same primary parts - many consumers believed that the Daewoo car was more durable and had a stronger foundation than some of its domestic counterparts. That helped Daewoo Motor stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Hyundai Motor, known best among consumers at the time for its midsized sedan, the Sonata.

The Royal Prince came in versions with a 1.5-liter, 1.9-liter or 2.0-liter engine.

The follow-up model shared the same basic body as its predecessor but had a sleeker look due to design renovations.

Its smooth handling and comfortable ride - partly stemming from its long, slender body - was the reason that Prince became the vehicle of choice for many cab drivers.

The Prince was a rear-wheel drive car that experts said was exceedingly comfortable in part because of its equal distribution of weight. But the rear-wheel drive also presented some drawbacks, as the vehicle was weak when it came to driving on snow or slippery roads.

The vehicle offered up some stiff competition to Hyundai’s Sonata and the Concord from Kia.

Back then, it would’ve been hard to imagine that Daewoo would eventually fall into bankruptcy, which is exactly what happened during the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s. General Motors took over Daewoo in 2002 and changed its name to GM Daewoo. The company ranked a distant fourth behind Hyundai, Kia Motors and Renault Samsung in terms of market share as of last year.

The Sonata’s rapid evolution and Daewoo’s financial woes led to the death of the Prince. The New Prince was rolled out on Jan. 19, 1996, becoming the last in the line of cars from Daewoo.

By Moon Gwang-lip [joe@joongang.co.kr]


The Prince series symbolized the heyday of Daewoo Motor, the predecessor to GM Daewoo. [JoongAng Ilbo]
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