The Daewoo Mirae was a concept car that was unveiled on April 20, 1999, at
Daewoo
Daewoo ( ; Hangul: , Hanja: , ; literally "great universe" and a portmanteau of "dae" meaning great, and the given name of founder and chairman Kim Woo-choong) also known as the Daewoo Group, was a major South Korean chaebol (type of conglomerat ...
's Seoul design studio 'Design Forum' and then again at the 1999
Seoul Motor Show. "Mirae" in
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
n means "future".
Designed at Daewoo's UK
Worthing
Worthing () is a seaside town in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 111,400 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Brighton and Hov ...
Technical Centre, somewhat unusually it premiered in two forms: an exterior model, and a separate interior technology showcase model.
Production was hinted to commence in 2010, but with the collapse of Daewoo Group in 2000 and the subsequent General Motors takeover, the concept car appears to be unlikely to be produced in the original form shown. Mirae was a joint funding exercise by the motor manufacturer and the UK
Department of Trade and Industry, scheduled to coincide with the Queen's first state visit to Korea. The visit was organized to reinforce financial and technology links between the two countries.
Concept
Daewoo claimed that the Mirae would be the world's first versatile sports car combining the flexibility to alter seat layouts from 4 seat MPV to single seater. The pedal and steering wheel would be able to move to provide left-hand, right-hand, or central driving positions.
Technology
The Mirae showcased some unusual technologies. It utilized Daewoo's German engineering by former Daewoo Engineering Director and current Aston Martin head Dr. Ulrich Bez, including a 2.5L
DOHC
An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion c ...
compact in-line 6-cylinder petrol engine, a unit that was able to be run upright or, in the concept design, on its side.
It would use ACTIVE (Advanced Camera Technology in Vehicle Ergonomics), a camera-based gestural in-vehicle control system, to replace conventional switchgear.
Drive-by-wire and steer-by-wire technology would replace the mechanical link between driver input and steering, acceleration, deceleration, and the transmission.
All seats would react to vehicle movement and would be individually suspended. Users would be able to alter comfort levels and the degree to which the seats tilted in cornering, in order to improve occupant comfort.
Design
Under Daewoo Design Director Ginger Ostle, who also designed the
Mazda Lantis
The Mazda Lantis is a series of two cars sold in Japan from 1993 to 1998. In the rest of the world it was also known as 323F, Astina, Allegro Hatchback or Artis Hatchback.
The Mazda Lantis used Mazda's CB platform, which means close relations t ...
, the car was designed by British duo Guy Colborne (exterior) and Paul Wraith (interior).
References
{{Reflist
External links
Daewoo Mirae Interior Feature on ConceptCar.co.ukDaewoo Mirae Exterior Feature on ConceptCar.co.uk
See also
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Daewoo Musiro
Mirae