With the body designed by Bertone, the model is based on the platform of the Daewoo LeMans,[3] a badge engineered version of the Opel Kadett manufactured in South Korea.

In the mid-1980s, Daewoo Motors was looking to enter in the mid-sized saloon market, which already had competitors like the Hyundai Sonata.

22 new lead acid batteries were laid on the floor of the body, and one charge distance of 80 km (49.7 miles) was carried out.

In the cabin of the Korean Espero, a different steering wheel and an electronic dash was available with orange letters and accents.

In 1994, a second facelift was made with the front logo changed from the black badge to a separated oval, with the same on the steering wheel).

In 1993, (2 adverts) they compared spacecraft technology and used racing drivers to demonstrate how powerful the Espero was.

It sold well, thanks to its competitive asking price, notchback roofline with a steeply raked rear window, spacious interior, luggage compartment, impressive equipment levels and the comprehensive aftersales package.

Despite the fact the Espero also featured couple of drawbacks as outdated interior design backing to the 80's, mediocre fuel economy and its body fairly prone to corrosion it still maintained popularity among price-conscious drivers.

In all European markets, there were option stickers at the back of the window in white writing ('ABS' for example).

[15] Daewoo also provided fixed prices (no haggling) and they claimed this was the best way of selling a car.

[17] However, on 29 March 1996, Daewoo announced these prices were risen to the following (although the price of the 1.8 CDi remained the same) from 1 April 1996:[18] GLXi: £11,495 CDi: £11,995 CDXi: £12,995 Then, on 10 October 1996, Daewoo announced that the day after, they will extend the range of all their models with and without air-conditioning, so with the Espero GLXi, these were the following prices (* = without air-conditioning):[19] GLXi*: £10,995 GLXi: £11,495 CDi: £11,995 CDXi: £12,995 On 6 December 1996, Daewoo announced that from 9 December 1996 they will raise the prices of their range reflecting changes made to the vehicles for 1997 model year (Espero prices):[20] GLXi: £11,735 CDi: £12,375 CDXi: £13,735 In the UK, the range consisted of three trim levels.

When AA (Automobile Association) tested the Espero CDi in October 1995, they rated it high because of its aftersales package and equipment it provided but criticised because of its electrical issues and lacking some safety features.

[23] Plus, AA (Automobile Association) later did an extension test in a revamped Espero 1.8 CDi in July 1996 to see their experience with it.

[24] In the 1996 revamp (although pre-facelifts were sold at the time), this included four-shot washer jets rather than two shot ones, door mirrors fold flush with body flanks, indicator fenders revised, rear light housings in boot less vulnerable, gear lever surround modified and a better RDS radio.

[25] One of the main reasons the Espero became so rare was because of an ABS control module which was not only difficult to replace but also very expensive when it was faulty.

Also, their resale value was very low so it depreciated rapidly as soon as their warranties ran out so these are considered worth little value.

The base model 'GLX' came with a 1.5 litre DOHC engine, a three-spoke steering wheel, electric windows, hubcaps, (some) a third brake light and a 'DOHC 16V' badge at the back (for colour reasons, the badge is black if the car is white and white if the car is in another colour).

Poland was the only country that offered the Espero the longest in production which ended in December 1999.

When Auto Świat tested the Espero 2.0 CD back in January 1996, they claimed that it was decent to drive, spacious and had an outdated 80's interior design.

In their conclusion its far-eastern competitors were doing a better job (Nissan Primera, Mazda 626) and the fact that 'attractive prices and rich furnishings will convince them of the "Korean" - and these are not the worst argument these days.

Automatic transmission, a spoiler and different types of alloy wheels[28][29] were optional on all models.

The badges were located at the body wings, had alloy wheels, it had automatic transmission and had wooden trims inside for a more executive look.

[30][31] Depending on the specification, these were the following prices: The Espero was marketed as 'Aranos' because the word 'Espero' translated to 'I hope' or 'I wait'.

In 1995, the Espero was updated which included new badging, and minor changes to the exterior and interior.

They claimed the boot was bigger than the Commodore and the Falcon and they also provided promotions which included a (whichever came first) 3 year/100,000 km warranty.

It was well equipped, this included all-round electric windows and electric mirrors, a five-speed manual gearbox, air-conditioning, power steering, remote trunk release and an AM/FM stereo radio with a CD player.

In Top Gear 1997, the Espero was placed 39th out of 120 in an 'N' registration JD power survey.

[34] Also, Top Gear tested out both Nexia and Espero models to see the experience of how they fared against its rivals.