Daewoo Nubira

The Nubira (1999-2002) sat between the Lanos (subcompact) and Leganza (midsize) in Daewoo's three-car US lineup. Compact car competing with Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Ford Focus, and Hyundai Elantra. Single engine: 2.0L D-TEC DOHC I4 (129 hp). Five-speed manual or four-speed automatic. FWD only. Body styles: four-door sedan and five-door wagon — the wagon variant was the more interesting body, an unusual offering at this price point in 2000-era America. Italdesign-styled exterior with Ulrich Bez (later of Aston Martin) as engineering chief. Standard equipment included dual airbags, ABS, and air conditioning — meaningfully better-equipped than the Lanos. Like all Daewoos, the Nubira's commercial fate was tied to the company's collapse — sales were modest and declined sharply after Daewoo's 2000 bankruptcy. After Daewoo Motor America exited 2002, the next-generation Nubira (J200 Lacetti) was sold in the US as the Suzuki Forenza (sedan) and Suzuki Reno (hatchback). Now a true curio — surviving examples are rare.