Daewoo Leganza

The Daewoo Leganza is an executive sedan car that was manufactured and marketed by the automobile manufacturer Daewoo. The Leganza was available as a four-door Sedan with front engine, front-wheel drive, four door, five passenger sedan of type of limousine manufactured and marketed by Daewoo in South Korea over a single generation for model years 1997-2002 and internally designated as the V100.

The Leganza was succeeded by the Suzuki Verona (V200) using an enlarged V100 platform. The name ''Leganza'' was a portmanteau of the Italian words ''elegante'' (elegant) and ''forza'' (power).

Development

The Leganza (V100), along with Lanos (T100) and Nubira (J100) were central to Daewoo's effort to develop a proprietary range to replace vehicles previously licensed from GM.

Daewoo turned to global consultants and suppliers in developing the three new lines. Under design direction of ex-Porsche and ex BMW engineering chief Dr. Ulrich Bez, the Leganza was developed in just 30 months, using Daewoo's growing in-house R&D network in Korea, Worthing and Munich along with other global consultants. Transmissions were provided by ZF and engines were sourced from GM Australia.

The Leganza was styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro of Italdesign, influenced by Giugiaro's 1990 Jaguar Kensington concept, which heavily influenced the 1991 Toyota Aristo as well as the first generation Lexus GS. Styling was also compared to the Maserati Coupé, another of Giugiaro's designs. Bodywork achieved a Cd of 0.32 Cd.

Development of the Leganza began at the end of 1993, after work began on the Lanos and the Nubira, delaying the Leganza introduction in some markets. After initial research of the Leganza leading to development of a mid-size executive car, further work on the V100 (prototype name) began. Styling took three months, the summer of 1994, aided by ItalDesign's offices in Kensington. Road tests began in May 1995, ended exactly a year later, and the Leganza was ready for production in February 1997.

Marketing

Launched in 1997, the Leganza replaced both the Espero and larger Prince. Daewoo rapidly expanded their distribution network with the inception of new models, offering the Leganza globally. Daewoo placed special emphasis on developing markets, which involved the assembly of Leganzas in countries like Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Russia and Uzbekistan, in plants owned by Daewoo or under license agreements. Nevertheless, this concerned CKD or SKD assembly only. All Leganzas were effectively made at Daewoo's Bupyong plant in Korea.

The Leganza was widely marketed as the ''Daewoo Leganza'' and as the ''Doninvest Kondor'', a short-lived version assembled by the Russian Doninvest corporation on Taganrog's TagAZ. It was poorly equipped compared to other Leganzas, and airbags were not an option.

At the time it was launched, the Leganza was a bit longer than most mid-size European or Asian cars, and was marketed as an inexpensive executive car in some markets.

Equipment

In various markets, the base Leganza was offered with a 2.0L 4-cylinder engine, 5-speed manual, hubcaps, cloth trim and all the standard power options. It had an optional 4-speed, hydraulically operated transmission. Ride quality was poor, as was cabin noise intrusion. In 1999, Daewoo made revisions to the model. The automatic transmission was replaced by an electronically controlled automatic transmission. The engine was upgraded to the 2.2 L, which boosted power from to , giving better performance, but increasing fuel consumption. The Leganza also gained standard 15-inch alloy wheels, anti-theft alarm, and remote central locking. The suspension was revised. In 2001 Daewoo introduced the "Limited Edition" trim level with leather upholstery, faux woodgrain trim, and a power driver's seat. In 2002 offered the trim level again, adding an anti-theft alarm, alloy wheels and remote locking.

United Kingdom

The Leganza's market began in Autumn 1997 along with the Lanos and Nubira. It was a replacement slightly larger than the Espero. The same aftersales package were given, including a 3 years/60,000-mile warranty, 3 years free servicing, parts and labor, 3 years AA cover and 100 free cars were given out for a year to test customers' experience with them to examine the customer satisfaction. This was extended to a free one years' free insurance for 1998.

Trim levels were sold as SX and CDX with the following equipment:

SX - ABS, twin airbags, air-con, keyless entry, power steering, electric sunroof and electric heated mirrors

CDX - (equipment over SX) alloy wheels, traction control, speed-sensitive power steering, full climate control, outside temperature display, front foglamps, ultrasonic alarm, upgraded seat coverings, wood effect and chrome trim and a leather covered steering wheel.

Prices for the SX started from £13,795 and for the CDX, £14,995. Auto transmission and a full leather trim with a driver's power seat were available as options for £500. The 2.0 litre 'D-Tec' engine was the only engine available. With the aftersales package and its engines, the Leganza was cheaper to operate than some of its rivals. The Leganza CDX was given a cost-per-mile figure of 25.9 pence compared to others:

The Leganza SX was given a cost-per-mile figure of just 24.9 pence.

At 25 March 1999, Easter sales were offered to the following models as a 'two-for-one' offer:

At 31 March 1999, prices were declared to change from 1 April 1999 to the following:

After that, prices were declared to be reduced even more from 1 January 2001:

CDX-E
In May 1998, Daewoo launched another version of the Leganza, the CDX-E. The difference was that it featured the Philips CARiN satellite navigation system with full in-car entertainment, 10-Disc CD autochanger, leather upholstery, new alloy wheels and luxury mats. On-the-road price was £17,520. It was an addition to the CDX, rather than replacing it.

Driveline

The Leganza was a front-wheel-drive car, available with a four-door sedan body only. The Leganza was powered by Holden-sourced D-TEC DOHC 16V I4 engines (two displacements were made using the same block and bore, differing in stroke):
* 2.0 L (1998 cc) – at 5,400 rpm, at 4,600 rpm of torque – used in models sold in Europe.
* 2.2 L (2198 cc) – at 5,200 rpm, at 2,800 rpm of torque – used mainly for the American and Australian market.
Both engines came with either a 5-speed manual transmission, or a 4-speed automatic.

Electric and Hybrid versions

From 1997 to 1999, several electric and hybrid Leganza's were created in Korea. However, they all remained prototypes. Each of them was painted white. It has been accepted that the following Leganza in the picture is called 'Leganza NGV'. Only one copy was shown at the Seoul Motor Show 1997. The Leganza NGV became the (next to the prototype) Shiraz. The interiors of these Leganza NGV's were also modified and it was possible that they did not have a rear seat. On the larger photo you can see one of the electric Leganza's during an electric car show in Korea. It was a closed show and only a few people could participate in it.

Successor

Daewoo increased the wheelbase of the V100 platform by to develop a new model, marketed as the Daewoo Magnus (V200), which launched in 2000. Both models were sold side by side in Korea, and the Leganza received a small update (front grille) in 2001. The Magnus has not been launched internationally until Leganza's demise in 2002, effectively replacing it. Daewoo ceased North American sales by then, and the V200 was released as the Suzuki Verona in the United States and the Chevrolet Epica in Canada.

There was no successor in the United Kingdom or Ireland until the launch of the Daewoo Tosca under the nameplate of Chevrolet Epica in 2007.

References

{{GM Daewoo timeline

Leganza
Mid-size cars
Sedans
Limousines
Front-wheel-drive vehicles
Cars introduced in 1997
2000s cars