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Sibal (, ) was a South Korean automotive brand. It was the first passenger vehicle produced in
First produced in 1955, the Sibal was initially hand-built using mostly imported parts, and a body shell made from old
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
, from May 1955 to August 1963. The word Sibal means 'inception' or 'beginning'.
The first Sibal was hand-built by brothers Choi Mu-seong, Choi Hae-seong and Choi Soon-seong, based on the famous Willys Jeep
The Willys MB and the Ford GPW, both formally called the U.S. Army Truck, -ton, 4×4, Command Reconnaissance, commonly known as the Willys Jeep, Jeep, or jeep, and sometimes referred to by its supply catalogue designation G503,According to i ...
. Initial demands for Sibal were low. However, after winning a presidential award, production began to flourish.
Overview
First produced in 1955, the Sibal was initially hand-built using mostly imported parts, and a body shell made from old oil drums
A drum (also called a barrel) is a cylindrical shipping container used for shipping bulk cargo. Drums can be made of steel, dense paperboard (commonly called a fiber drum), or plastic, and are generally used for the transportation and storage of ...
. Based on the Willys Jeep, production was slow until the vehicle gained a presidential award, whereupon it became a relatively popular choice for Korean taxi firms.
In 1962 the Korean government instigated ''The Automobile Industry Protection Act'', forcing foreign manufacturers to create partnerships with existing automotive companies. As a result early versions of companies such as Kia
Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...
, SsangYong
The SsangYong Motor Company ( ko, 쌍용자동차 주식회사) is a South Korea–based automobile manufacturer. It traces its origins back to a manufacturer established in 1954. The name SsangYong appeared in 1988, after its acquisition by the ...
and others gained cheap inroads to Korea, and the Sibal was discontinued in 1963.
See also
*Jiefang CA-30
The Jiefang CA-30 is a military truck used widely by the Chinese People's Liberation Army. It is a licensed-produced Soviet ZIL-157 6x6 army truck, and looks similar to original, except that it has square fenders rather than round fenders as on ...
Notes
Cars of South Korea {{automobile-stub