New Age travellers

The spacesavers are coming. DAVID LINKLATER reports on three carmakers hoping to make a big impact.

Three carmakers whose small cars are best known for a no-frills approach are going avant garde. The Suzuki Liana, Daewoo Kalos and Hyundai Getz intend to take on Europe's best superminis with slick styling and superb space efficiency.

Suzuki's Liana is set for its New Zealand launch at the end of this month. It has been on sale in Japan since last year and is marketed in Australia, Canada and Britain.

The Liana represents a new market segment for Suzuki New Zealand. It is larger than the Ignis but smaller than the Baleno, which continues in wagon form for at least another year. The Baleno hatch and sedan models were phased out last year.

There will be just one Liana variant on offer - a 1.6-litre hatch with a choice of five-speed manual or four-speed automatic gearbox. Standard equipment includes dual airbags, air-conditioning and centrally mounted digital instruments.

Packaging is a strong point. The Liana is shorter than the Honda Civic, but Suzuki claims that it boasts even more interior space than the Tardis-like Honda. The price hasn't been confirmed, but expect the Liana to slot in between the $22,495 Ignis and $30,100 Baleno wagon.

Hyundai's new Getz is totally Euro-focused. The company expects around 80 per cent of production to be exported to Europe, where the supermini sector accounts for 30 per cent of sales.

However, New Zealand is likely to beat Britain to supplies of the stylish new small car. It's due to arrive here by August with a 1.3-litre powerplant. At that time the larger Accent will be given a facelift and the entry 1.3 versions will be dropped in favour of an all-1.5 lineup.

Available equipment includes front and side airbags, three-point belts all round and anti-lock brakes with electronic force distribution.

Also bound for New Zealand is the Daewoo Kalos, which has just been unveiled in production form. Like the Liana, it fuses hatchback and MPV design elements.

The short-term future of the Kalos is uncertain because troubled Daewoo is involved in takeover talks with General Motors. However, it is believed that a deal will be signed by the end of this month. If the car gets final approval it will be on Korean roads next month and available in right-hand drive for Daewoo New Zealand by September.

The Kalos will be sold in Korea with new 1.2 or 1.4-litre engines, but Daewoo New Zealand might opt for a larger unit such as the 1.5 from the Lanos.

Specification is not finalised, but available equipment includes front and side airbags, air-conditioning, anti-lock braking with electronic force distribution and three-point seatbelts for all five seating positions.

Daewoo says that it is confident of a four-star performance in the European New Car Assessment Programme crash tests.

Potential rivals for the tiny trio include the forthcoming Citroen C3, Honda Jazz and new Volkswagen Polo, as well as established stars like the Holden Barina, Peugeot 206, Renault Clio and Toyota Echo.

And the names? Liana means "life in a new age" and Kalos is the Greek word for "beautiful" - but Getz is anybody's guess.