|
1981 in motoring deals with developments in the automotive industry that occurred in 1981, listed by country. The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles. ==United Kingdom== General Motors introduced a new range of medium-sized family cars, the "J Car". The British-built version of the car was called the Vauxhall Cavalier, while its German twin was sold as the Opel Ascona. This incarnation of the car had front-wheel drive and a hatchback bodystyle to run alongside the saloon. The engine line-up included 1.3 L and 1.6 L petrol units as well as a 1.6 L diesel, with larger engined models to go on sale in the near future. The new car was also sold by other branches of General Motors, including Chevrolet in the USA and Holden in Australia. After 11 years on sale, during which time it was sold as a Hillman, Chrysler and finally a Talbot, production of the Avenger ceased under Peugeot ownership. It had gradually declined in popularity following the launch of the more modern Horizon and Alpine models during the late 1970s. Talbot's entry-level model, the Sunbeam, ceased production in late 1981 and was succeeded by the Talbot Samba—a compact three-door hatchback which used the same underpinnings and bodyshell as the Peugeot 104. British Leyland announced the end of Austin Maxi production in July 1981, 12 years after the car first went on sale. There was no direct successor, although a new family hatchback - first planned towards the end of the 1970s - would be launched by early 1983. Meanwhile, British Leyland enjoyed success with its new Metro compact hatchback. British Leyland ceased production of the Princess after six years. Its successor, the Austin Ambassador, was a facelifted version of the original 1975 car, but the most significant change was the transition from saloon to hatchback body style. The new car would only be sold in Britain. British Leyland's Triumph division was undergoing a major transformation for 1982. The Dolomite and TR7 ranges ceased production after a collective lifespan of 17 years. The marque would include one single model: the Acclaim, which was the result of a venture with Honda. The Acclaim was powered by a 1.3 L overhead camshaft petrol engine capable of 97 mph. Production of the new car, which debuted in 1980 in Japan as the Honda Ballade, took place at the Cowley plant in Oxford. The venture with Honda also saw development work begin on a new car which was expected to replace the Rover SD1 halfway through the decade. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「1981 in motoring」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|