International rescue

By BRENDA WARD

The new Lacetti from GM Daewoo offered a few surprises when the car was launched in Canterbury last week - most of them pleasant. The car has borrowed from European panache for its body design, and offers a comfortable drive for thousands of dollars less than its toughest competitors.

The new body shape is the brainchild of famed Italian design house Pininfarina, responsible for many of the Ferrari models. However, rather than pushing design boundaries, the result is a watered-down amalgam of several European marques, creating a more anonymous international style.

A vaguely wedge-shaped body ends in a high, coupe-style bootline that hints at the Alfa Romeo 155's chunky tail, with prominent wheel arches looking rather out of place.

Only the plastic trim and low-cost interior fabric treatment let down the car's overall visual appeal, and if a Mercedes badge rather than a GM Daewoo one had been fixed to the grille, the casual observer wouldn't look twice.

Don't be fooled by the Italianate name though. The makers say it was named for the Latin "lacertus", meaning energetic, muscular, youthful and strong, but the direct Italian translation is the rather less impressive "shoelace".

The speedometer panel's matte silver circular surround is the best interior feature, lending an Audi TT-style elegance to an otherwise unremarkable instrument panel.

On the road, the Lacetti offers a quietly confident drive, with its 1.8-litre DOHC E-tec engine powering economically over the Canterbury plains and cruising exceptionally quietly and comfortably around the bends in the river valleys.

Only the high gearing of the automatic, set to European rather than Korean road conditions, had the car itching uncomfortably to cruise at more than the legal limit. The manual, however, had a more appropriate gearing that made acceleration easy and cruising comfortable at 100km/h.

For the A-to-B driver, it will fulfil all the requirements of a cheap and easy drive, with comfort.

Critics point to the five-speed manual and four-speed automatic transmissions (with overdrive) as not in keeping with its competitors, particularly the benchmark Honda Civic.

And the price ($25,995 manual, $27,745 automatic) may not be low enough to compensate for the outmoded transmissions and the marque's poor resale value, badly affected by Daewoo's patchy history in this market.

"The Daewoo brand in New Zealand had taken more hits than expected before the company was taken over by GM," general manager Robert Brehaut said at the model's launch. "The reliability of the Daewoo brand had suffered more damage than we had suspected."

Marketing manager Julie Knight said lack of consistency, parts shortages and changes in who was selling the cars all affected the public's perception.

But Brehaut promised the new GM Daewoo was addressing all those issues, committed to delivering the cars and the service, building credibility, reliability and value, with a dealer network of 10, likely to rise to 14 in coming months.

"The Lacetti will continue to build confidence in the brand," he said. "We will offer a more complete line-up for the buyers."

The company is openly targeting the buyers of used Japanese imports, Mr and Mrs Middle New Zealand, and young professionals.

The boot space is expected to appeal to women, with ample space for a week's groceries, or a set of golf clubs, and spacious back seating, with three three-point seatbelts.

Safety has been addressed as well. The Nubira's construction included 8 per cent high-tensile steel, but the Lacetti body is strengthened with 40 per cent high-tensile steel. It also has ABS and dual airbags.

Air conditioning with a pollen filter, remote central locking and alarm and boot release, power windows and mirrors, and a CD player are standard in the base model.

Next up is a Limited edition, loaded with extras such as leather seats and side airbags, available in November and expected to cost $32,995, followed by a station wagon 18 months later, to replace the Nubira Eurowagon.

Brehaut also signalled the development of an SUV platform, as part of a big GM programme shared with other GM sister companies, expected in 2006.

"It's all about smart choice," Brehaut said. "Why buy a used import if you can make the smart choice and buy a new Daewoo?"