Daewoo Maepsy
Encyclopedia
The Daewoo Maepsy is a compact car
that was manufactured by Daewoo Motor
(and its predecessors General Motors Korea/GMK and Saehan) in South Korea
from 1973 to 1989. The Maepsy was a badge engineered version of the Opel Kadett
C, or to be more precise, of the PF50 Isuzu Gemini
. Originally the car was sold as the Saehan Gemini (Saehan Bird in export markets), but in 1982 the car evolved to become the Saehan Maepsy. By 1983 it was called the Daewoo Maepsy after Saehan Motor was bought out by the Daewoo Group
, and finally the Daewoo Maepsy-Na (New Maepsy, 맵시나).
The original Gemini was equipped with a 1492 cc imported four-cylinder engine. Power was 73 PS at 5,400 rpm, for a claimed top speed of 160 km/h. This imported engine was rather expensive however, and when the Hyundai Pony
was introduced Saehan's market share dropped precipitously. A measure of popularity was retained as the Gemini was the only compact car in South Korea with an available automatic transmission.
In 1981, in an attempt at consolidating the South Korean transportation industry which had been hard hit by the 1980 recession, the new military dictatorship of Chun Doo-hwan
forced Kia
to give up production of its Brisa and focus entirely on light trucks. In return, Saehan and Hyundai had to give up this segment of the market, while a planned merger of the two did not come to fruition. Not only did these changes allow Saehan a bigger share of the market, but they were also able to use the domestically built 1.3-liter (Mazda TC) engine that Kia no longer had any use for, which lowered the price of the new Maepsy considerably. The facelifted Saehan Maepsy was introduced in March 1982, with the 1.3-liter engine using LPG and producing 76 PS (SAE) for a top speed of 151 km/h (94 mph). The 1.5 claimed 84 PS (SAE) but somehow had a slightly lower top speed of 150 km/h (93 mph) (140 km/h (87 mph) for the automatic). In 1983, the name was changed to Daewoo Maepsy.
In 1984, the car received another facelift, with bigger rectangular headlamps, becoming the Maepsy-Na. The rear was also changed, echoing the design of the 1979 Isuzu Gemini
. The XO engine was built by Daewoo now, meaning that Kia's 1.3-liter version was retired. Performance was the same as before, although claimed power was now only 60 PS as South Korea had switched to using DIN
ratings. Between 1982 and 1989, 400,000 Maepsys and Maepsy-Nas were built.
A pickup truck
version was also offered initially as the Saehan Max and later as the Daewoo Max from 1982 to 1988.
Compact car
A compact car , or small family car , is a classification of cars which are larger than a supermini but smaller than or equal to a mid-size car...
that was manufactured by Daewoo Motor
GM Daewoo
GM Korea Company is South Korea's second largest automobile manufacturer and is a division of the General Motors Company. GM Korea's roots go back to the former Daewoo which was split from its parent company, Daewoo Group, in 2001...
(and its predecessors General Motors Korea/GMK and Saehan) in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
from 1973 to 1989. The Maepsy was a badge engineered version of the Opel Kadett
Opel Kadett
The Opel Kadett is a small family car produced by the German automobile manufacturer Opel between 1937 and 1940, and then again from 1962 until 1991 , when it was replaced by the Opel Astra.-Original model :...
C, or to be more precise, of the PF50 Isuzu Gemini
Isuzu Gemini
General Motors sought a replacement for their world car T-body Kadett / Gemini, and this time, instead of building one design on several continents, they decided to build a world car in one location and export it to several continents...
. Originally the car was sold as the Saehan Gemini (Saehan Bird in export markets), but in 1982 the car evolved to become the Saehan Maepsy. By 1983 it was called the Daewoo Maepsy after Saehan Motor was bought out by the Daewoo Group
Daewoo
Daewoo or the Daewoo Group was a major South Korean chaebol . It was founded on 22 March 1967 as Daewoo Industrial and was dismantled by the Korean government in 1999...
, and finally the Daewoo Maepsy-Na (New Maepsy, 맵시나).
The original Gemini was equipped with a 1492 cc imported four-cylinder engine. Power was 73 PS at 5,400 rpm, for a claimed top speed of 160 km/h. This imported engine was rather expensive however, and when the Hyundai Pony
Hyundai Pony
The Hyundai Pony , was a small rear-wheel drive automobile produced by the Hyundai Motor Company from 1975 to 1988 .-Background:...
was introduced Saehan's market share dropped precipitously. A measure of popularity was retained as the Gemini was the only compact car in South Korea with an available automatic transmission.
In 1981, in an attempt at consolidating the South Korean transportation industry which had been hard hit by the 1980 recession, the new military dictatorship of Chun Doo-hwan
Chun Doo-hwan
Chun Doo-hwan was a ROK Army general and the President of South Korea from 1980 to 1988. Chun was sentenced to death in 1996 for his heavy-handed response to the Gwangju Democratization Movement, but later pardoned by President Kim Young-sam with the advice of then President-elect Kim Dae-jung,...
forced Kia
Kia Motors
Kia Motors , headquartered in Seoul, is South Korea's second-largest automobile manufacturer, following the Hyundai Motor Company, with sales of over 1.4 million vehicles in 2010...
to give up production of its Brisa and focus entirely on light trucks. In return, Saehan and Hyundai had to give up this segment of the market, while a planned merger of the two did not come to fruition. Not only did these changes allow Saehan a bigger share of the market, but they were also able to use the domestically built 1.3-liter (Mazda TC) engine that Kia no longer had any use for, which lowered the price of the new Maepsy considerably. The facelifted Saehan Maepsy was introduced in March 1982, with the 1.3-liter engine using LPG and producing 76 PS (SAE) for a top speed of 151 km/h (94 mph). The 1.5 claimed 84 PS (SAE) but somehow had a slightly lower top speed of 150 km/h (93 mph) (140 km/h (87 mph) for the automatic). In 1983, the name was changed to Daewoo Maepsy.
In 1984, the car received another facelift, with bigger rectangular headlamps, becoming the Maepsy-Na. The rear was also changed, echoing the design of the 1979 Isuzu Gemini
Isuzu Gemini
General Motors sought a replacement for their world car T-body Kadett / Gemini, and this time, instead of building one design on several continents, they decided to build a world car in one location and export it to several continents...
. The XO engine was built by Daewoo now, meaning that Kia's 1.3-liter version was retired. Performance was the same as before, although claimed power was now only 60 PS as South Korea had switched to using DIN
Deutsches Institut für Normung
is the German national organization for standardization and is that country's ISO member body. DIN is a Registered German Association headquartered in Berlin...
ratings. Between 1982 and 1989, 400,000 Maepsys and Maepsy-Nas were built.
A pickup truck
Pickup truck
A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...
version was also offered initially as the Saehan Max and later as the Daewoo Max from 1982 to 1988.