So Shi-Tei

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Revision as of 06:19, 7 October 2008

The So Shi-Tei is a budget compact Korean car manufactured by So Motors, a subsidiary of So Manufacturing Korea. The first So Shi-Tei was manufactured on April 1, 1983.

History

In 1979, So Manufacturing wanted to expand into making automobiles. Having no such experience, they sent out an ad in the local newspaper to find a designer. Meanwhile in 1981, they created So Motors. Finally in 1982, the winner was chosen. The So Shi-Tei was the brain child of Korean Won Tai-Lee.

First Generation

The first generation Shi-Tei was produced between 1983 and 1991.

Second Generation

So Motors was being pressured into redesigning their car. So in 1989, So Motors began redesigning their car. The second generation Shi-Tei was produced between 1992 and 1994. Due to poor sales and financial trouble, production ended in 1994.

Third Generation

In 1998, So Manufacturing International became under new management. In 2000, So Motors decided to bring back the Shi-Tei and decided to do it as quick as possible. Again, they went back and placed an ad in the newspaper. The winner this time was a European named Paul James. The third generation Shi-Tei was produced between 2002 and 2006. In 2004, So Motors decided to test new features such as power windows and airbags. However, they could not get them to work correctly and the idea was scrapped.

Fourth Generation

The first generation Shi-Tei was produced between 2007 and present. In 2007, a Shi-Tei GTR was released for slightly more. In 2009, it is rumored that the Shi-Tei will come pre-installed with airbags, however nothing has been confirmed.

Partnerships

A partnership was announced in 1998 with General Motors. The deal would see the Shi-Tei produced in North America. However, the deal feel through and General Motors bought Daewoo.

Defects

Being so cheaply produced, the So Shi-Tei has been reviled to have several design flaws.

• Electrical Problems - Areas Affected: 1983 - 1987. The result would end with the car stalling and not starting again.
• Windshield Wipers - Areas Affected: 1985 - 1987 and 1989 - 1991. When reaching a certain speed, the wipers would apparently fly off. This problem was fixed in 1991 when they started using stronger glue to hold them on.
• Fires - Areas Affected: All years. For some reason, all models seem to catch fire without warning.

Pictures

First generation:

See Also

• Chevrolet