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The Ford Verona and Volkswagen Apollo are a pair of small family cars that were manufactured in Brazil by Autolatina, a joint venture between Brazilian subsidiaries of Ford and Volkswagen. It was produced from 1989 to 1992 and from 1993 to 1996, initially as a direct replacement for the ageing Ford Del Rey. The company spent US$100 million developing and producing the car, which is heavily based on the second generation Ford Orion, and competed mainly with the Chevrolet Monza in the local market. The first generation had the characteristic of being a two-door sedan with a unique rear end, and the only derivation of the fourth generation Ford Escort with this body style, and was also rebadged as the Volkswagen Apollo.〔Piquini, Marco (1995). "The motor industries of South America and Mexico: poised for growth." ''Economist Intelligence Unit'', p.126.〕 Autolatina ceased production of the Verona/Apollo in 1992, after only three years of the original release, but still produced locally the third generation Orion a year after and keeping the Verona nameplate, until it was replaced by the sixth generation Ford Escort saloon in 1996.〔 ==First generation (1989–1992)== The first generation Verona was released in November 1989, as Ford's Brazilian subsidiary wanted a stronger competitor for the mid-size segment leader at the time, the Chevrolet Monza, despite being based from a lower segment car. Although heavily based in the second generation of the European Ford Orion, it has a unique body style, being a two-door sedan with a higher rear design and horizontal tail lights.〔 The two cars are also mechanically different, and while the Orion was only available in the four-door body style, the Verona was only available with two doors. It lacked some features available in the Orion, for example the folding rear seats, to reduce production costs.〔 In 1986, Argentine and Brazilian subsidiaries of Volkswagen and Ford formed the Autolatina joint venture, leading to a series of badge engineered cars.〔Nosé Junior, Amadeu (2005). ''Marketing internacional: uma estratégia empresarial.'', p. 99.〕 The Verona was the first model to be rebranded during the alliance and its sibling was the Volkswagen Apollo, released in 1990. The alliance also allowed Ford to have access to more powerful engines, better suited to the segment it would compete, since one of the most common complaints in the Ford Del Rey it would replace was its poor performance.〔(Quatro Rodas ) (October 1986), p.108.〕 Code named ''Nevada'', the Verona development costed US$70,000,000 to Ford do Brasil, and aimed to create a competitive car for the midsize segment without excessive spending, due to the bad financial situation of the subsidiary at the time. Another US$30,000,000 were used to update the São Bernardo do Campo assembly line, where the car was produced. It was considered to build a four-door Ford Orion in Brazil, but two-door sedans were more suitable to local demand, which led to the creation of the Verona.〔 The final name was chosen in computer, among other 21 options, including ''Stallion'', ''Novara'' and the proper project code name ''Nevada''.〔 LX and GLX were the two trim lines available for the Verona, the first one carried by a 1.6 L CHT engine and the last by a 1.8 L Volkswagen AP engine, both with ethanol and petrol variants.〔 Base model was the LX and could be equipped with green glasses, rear window defroster, AM/FM stereo and power mirrors, while the GLX was the upscale trim level and could be equipped with fog lights, aluminum wheels, lumbar support adjustment, Bosch radio/cassette player with code to inhibit theft and power mirrors. Air conditioning and sunroof were also optional features in the GLX trim.〔 Unlike its Apollo twin, the Verona dashboard was identical to the Ford Escort one.〔(Quatro Rodas ) (July 1990) , p. 41.〕 The last model year offered 14 pol aluminum wheels as an optional feature. That same year, the Verona was discontinued in the South American market. In a 1989 road test conducted by a Brazilian magazine, the Verona 1.8 L managed to go from 0 to 100 km/h in 11,72 seconds and reached a maximum speed of 168.3 km/h.〔(Quatro Rodas ) (December 1989), p. 50-56.〕 In this same road test, dynamometer measurements determined that ethanol engines produced 105 PS, while Ford would publicize this engine as it only produced 99 PS. This was done to avoid a higher tax on the circulation of goods (ICM) for ethanol engines for cars with power above 100 PS.〔〔(Convênio ICM nº 44 de 27/09/1985 (Federal) ). Retrieved 2012-07-31.〕 Specifications for each engine can be found in the table below.〔1990-1992 Ford Verona Owner's Manual, p. 80-81.〕 Note: AE is an acronym for "Alta Economia" (High Fuel-Efficiency in English), AP stands for "Alta Performance" (High Performance in English).〔(Folha de S.Paulo - CARTAS - 3/7/1994 ) (July 3, 1994). Retrieved 2012-09-27.〕 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「Ford Verona」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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