Each of the six generations have been badge-engineered versions of various General Motors vehicles, namely Suzuki Cultus, Opel Corsa, and Daewoo Kalos.

[citation needed] The first generation MB Barina was launched on 12 February 1985 as a badge-engineered Suzuki Cultus as a five-door hatchback.

[2] In the first year of production a "Roadrunner Pack" special model was offered complete with decals showing the Warner Bros. cartoon character.

The facelifted ML series was released in September 1986, this included a coil sprung rear end replacing the leaf springs of the MB, a revised dashboard, headlights, tailgate and lights, and front grille.

The MH Barina, which was released in September 1991,[5] featured an improved interior, upgraded suspension, new front and rear bumpers and revised tail-lamp clusters.

The third generation Barina was available in the following models: In August 1997, there was an update featuring multipoint fuel injection across the range and suspension upgrades to improve ride and handling.

Limited to 500 cars, the Lambada 3-door hatchback added a sunroof, 14 inch alloys, body coloured bumpers, and power steering over the City it was based on.

Based on the Barina City three-door hatchback,[11] the soft top version was built in Spain like the rest of the SB series lineup.

[10] Separately in mainland Europe, the same concept was sold from 1995 as the Opel Corsa Twister, converted by R&R Kupfer in the Dutch city of Dordrecht.

The Daewoo-sourced Holden Barina scored a lower two out of five star ANCAP rating than its European-built, Opel-based predecessor.

[19] As a result, Denny Mooney, the managing director of Holden, was forced to publicly defend the perceived poor reputation of the TK Barina.

[21] As a result of this, and structural improvements including a high-strength steel reinforced B-pillar, ANCAP rated the car four out of five stars, up from two.

Common issues with the TK throughout the model run were Holden's use of an unusual all-plastic thermostat housing design on the engine, which could fail and split apart due to repeated stress and heat cycles.

Front tire wear was high in the early 2006 models due to factory suspension camber settings, which were revised by 2008.

[23]The sixth generation TM series Barina debuted at the 2011 Australian International Motor Show held in Melbourne.