22 October 2002: Daewoo’s Kalos supermini has gone on sale in Ireland, replacing the Lanos and providing the brand with the first of a brand new range of cars to be launched over the next year.

The Kalos, designed by Giugiaro of Turin, comes in hatchback and saloon forms, the latter overlapping slightly into the C-segment as a cheaper alternative to the benchmark Corolla/Focus/Astra cars in a similar way as Cordoba does for SEAT and the Liana saloon for Suzuki.

The Kalos is priced from E12,995, and at the moment the only power unit is a 1.4-litre 8v unit outputting 83bhp. A 1.2-litre will be available in the spring, at the same time as a 1.4-litre 16v engine. The company is considering offering an automatic option with the more powerful 1.4.

There are two specification levels in the hatchback - SE and SX. All cars have dual airbags, 3-point seatbelts for all five passengers, power steering and electrically-operated front windows. The offside door mirror is also electrically operated.

The SX package adds an alarm, front fog lamps, electrically-operated rear windows, height-adjustable driver’s seat and a table for rear passengers that folds out of the back of the front passenger’s seat.

The rear seats in the hatchback have a ‘flip-over’ facility that optimises rear cargo capacity with two occupants, providing a flat rear load area.

The Kalos has the longest wheelbase and the best headroom in its class, according to figures made available by the maker.

Daewoo Ireland are hoping to gain 1 per cent of the Irish market next year with the Kalos, or 1,500 vehicle sales. Current estimates suggest that 60 per cent of the new car’s customers will opt for the saloon version.

For Daewoo Ireland, which has suffered in the Irish market over the last two years because of the uncertainty hanging over the parent Korean company, the Kalos comes at a time when the Daewoo fortunes are rising following the completion last week of the GM takeover of the company.

Last night, Daewoo Ireland chairman Gerard O’Toole revealed that the Irish company is currently negotiating the UK franchise for another Korean carmaker, SsangYong, which makes the Musso, Korando and Rexton SUVs. Daewoo Ireland currently markets the SsangYong products here.