1988 in motoring

United Kingdom

The newly independent Leyland Bus company was acquired by Volvo Buses.

The remaining Rover Group business, which by now was mainly volume car production, was sold by the British Government to British Aerospace.

The newly privatised Rover Group plc abandoned the Austin marque for its Mini, Metro, Maestro, and Montego ranges. Each model became badged as a Rover, joining the existent 200 and 800 ranges. The MG badge continued for high performance Metro, Maestro and Montego variants, and there was an updated version of the Metro in the pipeline, along with a re-introduction of the famous "Mini Cooper" nameplate.

Vauxhall brought out an all-new Cavalier to respond to increasing competition from the likes of the Ford Sierra and Peugeot 405. The latest Cavalier offered an excellent range of engines, much improved handling, decent equipment levels and competitive prices. Engines ranged from an econimcal 1.4 to a swift 2.0, with most models getting power steering and electric windows as optional or standard equipment.

Germany

Volkswagen made two significant additions to its range. The first of these was the all-new Passat in March. The Passat was available as a saloon and estate, starting with 1.6 petrol engines as well as a 1.9 turbo-diesel. For the first time in the Passat's 15-year history, there was no hatchback version. Volkswagen's other major launch of 1988 was the Corrado, a stylish and fast coupé which was to replace the Scirocco. It was powered by a 2.0 petrol engine from the Passat saloon.

Audi launched a new Coupe, which ran alongside the original 1980 version. It used the same engines and transmission as the 80 saloon, with the option of Quattro four-wheel drive at the higher end of the range.

Italy

Winner of the year's Car of the Year award was the Fiat Tipo. A replacement for the ageing and outmoded Strada, the Tipo was a tall five-door hatchback which offered new levels of interior space for cars in the Ford Escort sector. It was powered by 1.4 and 1.6 engines in Britain and most other markets, as well as an economical 1.7 diesel. The home market also got a slow but economical 1.1 version, plus the swift 1.8 and 2.0 versions. A saloon version was expected in 1989 as a replacement for the Strada-based Regata.

Japan

Toyota was expecting to break into the luxury market in the near future with its new Lexus brand. Knowing that a prestige brand is essential in the luxury car sector, its new brand would concentrate solely on luxury cars, and the LS 400 goes on sale in 1989 as a rival for the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Powered by a 4.0 V8 engine, it was expected to set new standards for luxury and refinement.

ee also

*1987 in motoring - the previous year
*1989 in motoring - the next year