United Kingdom

Ford

Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...

 launched a new, fourth generation Escort, ten years after the last all-new model was launched. The new Escort was available with 1.3, 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 petrol engines as well as a 1.8 diesel. It came with some up-to-date extras on more upmarket models, including electric windows, power steering, antilock brakes and central locking. It was competitively priced, spacious, comfortable, easy to drive and practical, but lacked the flair and innovation that might have been expected. The same could be said of the Orion

Ford Orion

The Ford Orion is a saloon car built by the automaker Ford for the European market from 22 July 1983 until 19 September 1993. A total of 3,534,239 Orions were sold throughout the car's 10-year life....

 saloon version.

Rover

Rover Group

The Rover Group plc was the name given in 1986 to the British state-owned vehicle manufacturer previously known as British Leyland or BL. Owned by British Aerospace from 1988 to 1994, when it was sold to BMW, the Group was broken up in 2000 with the Rover and MG marques being acquired by the MG...

 continued the modernisation of its range by launching a heavily updated Metro

Rover Metro

The Metro is a supermini car that was produced by the Austin Rover Group division of British Leyland and its successors. It was launched in 1980 as the Austin miniMetro. It was intended to complement the Mini, and was developed under the codename LC8....

 which used the same basic design but with many styling modifications. The ancient 1.0 and 1.3 A-Series

BMC A-Series engine

Austin Motor Company's small straight-4 automobile engine, the A-Series, is one of the most common in the world. Launched in 1951 with the Austin A30, production lasted until 2000 in the Mini. It used a cast-iron block and cylinder head, and a steel crankshaft with 3 main bearings...

 engines were dropped in favour of the impressive new 16-valve K-Series

Rover K engine

The K-Series engine is a series of engines built by Powertrain Ltd, a sister company of MG Rover. The engine was built in two forms: a straight-four cylinder, available with SOHC and DOHC, ranging from 1.1 L to 1.8 L; and the KV6 V6 variation....

 units, with a choice of 1.1 and 1.4 litres. The saloon version of the 200 Series

Rover 200 Series

The Rover 200 Series, and the later Rover 25, were a series of small car models produced by the Austin Rover Group, and latterly the Rover Group and MG Rover....

 - the 400 Series - went on sale as a well-priced competitor to the Ford Sierra

Ford Sierra

The Ford Sierra is a large family car that was built by Ford Europe from 1982 until 1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément. The code used during development was "Project Toni"....

 and Vauxhall Cavalier

Vauxhall Cavalier

The Vauxhall Cavalier is a large family car sold primarily in the UK by Vauxhall Motors, the British division of General Motors , from 1975 to 1995...

. In spite of the recent launches of similar-sized cars, Rover was still producing the Maestro

Austin Maestro

The Austin Maestro is a compact-sized 5-door hatchback car that was produced from 1983 to 1994, initially by the Austin Rover subsidiary of British Leyland , and from 1988 onwards by its successor, Rover Group. The car was produced at the former Morris plant in Cowley, Oxford. It was initially...

 and Montego

Austin Montego

The Austin Montego is a British mid-size saloon car that was produced by the Austin Rover subsidiary of British Leyland , and its successors, from 1984 until 1994. The Montego was the replacement for the Morris Ital, to give British Leyland a modern competitor for the Ford Sierra and Vauxhall...

 ranges.

Japan

Nissan shelved the long-running Bluebird

Nissan Bluebird

Although Nissan's own materials indicate that the Bluebird name emerged in 1959, some records show that the name first adorned a 988 cc, four-door sedan in 1957, which was part of the company's 210 series...

 nameplate on the launch of its new medium-sized range of hatchbacks, saloons and estate - the Primera

Nissan Primera

The Nissan Primera is a medium sized family car produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan for the Japanese domestic and European markets.-Nissan Primera P10 :...

. Power came from refined and economical 1.6 and 2.0 petrol engines as well as a 2.0 diesel. The hatchbacks and estates were produced at the Sunderland plant in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, but the estate was fully made up in Japan. There was a wide range of trims which mostly have generous equipment levels, and the whole range is backed up by solid build quality and reliability. Meanwhile, its Micra range was the 11th most popular car in Britain during 1990, making it the fifth most popular car in its sector and the most popular car imported from Japan. Its successor was due in 1992 and would be built at the Sunderland plant.

France

Renault

Renault

Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...

 moved the mini-car game on to a new level with its new Clio

Renault Clio

The Renault Clio is a supermini car produced by the French automobile manufacturer Renault. Originally launched in 1990, it is currently in its third generation...

, a range of three- and five-door hatchbacks which had already gone on sale on the continent and would arrive on the British market early in 1991. No other car of its size was as well-built, comfortable or well-equipped as the Clio, which justified its premium price over the likes of the Ford Fiesta

Ford Fiesta

The Ford Fiesta is a front wheel drive supermini/subcompact manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company and built in Europe, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, China, India, Thailand and South Africa...

 and Vauxhall Nova. Power came from a new range of 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6 petrol engines as well as a frugal 1.9 diesel. A 1.8 16-valve unit was expected soon, to succeed the R5 Turbo

Renault 5

The Renault 5 was first unveiled on 10 December 1971, being launched at the beginning of 1972.The Renault 5 was styled by Michel Boué, who died before the car's release, the R5 featured a steeply sloping rear hatchback and front dashboard...

. The Clio was the replacement for the R5, though the long-running old car was still being built in Slovenia

Slovenia

Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...

 and there were no immediate plans for production to be terminated there.

Germany

BMW

BMW

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...

 launched a new 3 Series

BMW 3 Series

The BMW 3 Series is a compact executive car manufactured by the German automaker BMW since May 1975. Successor to the BMW New Class, it has been produced in five different generations and in no less than five different body styles. It is BMW's best-selling model, accounting for around 30% of the...

, which looked set for dominance of the compact executive market thanks to its sleek looks, excellent quality and driver appeal. Even the basic 1.9 petrol engine gave impressive performance, with the range topping 2.5 unit one of the best powerhouses ever found under the bonnet of a BMW. Equipment levels were generally good, but it was disappointing to note that some of the cheaper models had a radio and sunroof as only optional extras. The current 3 Series range included just a four-door saloon, and the remainder of the old 3 Series range would remain on sale until the forthcoming new coupé, cabriolet and estate replacements were launched.

Volkswagen

Volkswagen

Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...

 gave the Polo

Volkswagen Polo

The Volkswagen Polo is a supermini car manufactured by Volkswagen. It is sold in Europe and other markets worldwide in hatchback, saloon, coupé and estate variants....

 a major restyle to its exterior and interior to keep it up with the competition after nine years on sale. A completely removable stereo/cassette player was a clever security measure, but the rest of the car was unremarkable. The 1.0 and 1.3 petrol engines were carried over from the original 1981 Polo, but there were two more powerful versions of the 1.3 - the "GT" and "G40". 1991 saw the launch of the third generation Golf

Volkswagen Golf

The Volkswagen Golf is a small family car manufactured by Volkswagen since 1974 and marketed worldwide across six generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates – as the Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada , and as the Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico .The...

.

Italy

Fiat

Fiat

FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...

 gave the seven-year-old Uno

Fiat Uno

The Fiat Uno is a supermini car produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat. The Uno was launched in 1983 and built in its homeland until 1995, with production still taking place in other countries.-First series :...

 a major facelift to keep up with the ever-growing number of more modern rivals from the likes of Ford, Renault, Citroen

Citroën

Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...

 and Rover. A major restyle saw the interior and exterior change substantially, but it is still a far cry from the ultramodern pace-setter than it was on its launch back in 1983. There was a new 1.0 petrol engine at entry-level, with a 1.4 option at the top end of the range. Some models had electric windows, central locking and a sunroof as optional extras. The Uno Turbo continued as Fiat's rival for the Golf GTI

Volkswagen Golf

The Volkswagen Golf is a small family car manufactured by Volkswagen since 1974 and marketed worldwide across six generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates – as the Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada , and as the Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico .The...

 and Astra GTE

Vauxhall Astra

Astra is a model name which has been used by Vauxhall, the British subsidiary of General Motors , on their small family car ranges since 1979. Astras are technically essentially identical with similar vehicles offered by GM's German subsidiary Opel in most other European countries...

.

Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of cars. Founded as A.L.F.A. on June 24, 1910, in Milan, the company has been involved in car racing since 1911, and has a reputation for building expensive sports cars...

 at last expanded the 164

Alfa Romeo 164

The Alfa Romeo 164 is an executive car with saloon body, produced by the Italian automaker Alfa Romeo from 1987 to 1998.The 164 was re-badged as the 168 for the Hong Kong and Malaysian markets, as the number "164" had a very negative connotation , and "168" has quite the opposite The Alfa Romeo 164...

range to include a more affordable 2.0 four-cylinder version.