The Holden Epica is a mid-size car produced from 2006 till 2014 by the South Korean automaker, Daewoo (now GM Korea, a General Motors subsidiary). Under other vehicle classification systems, it is categorized as a medium (Australia), compact executive (UK), or a D-segment or large family car (Europe).
The production run of the Holden Epica was relatively short. Manufacturing was undertaken by Daewoo in South Korea from 2006 through 2011 and in China from 2007 through 2014.
Launching and marketing
The official launching of the Epica took place at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show. Codenamed V250, it was marketed under the following marques:
· Daewoo Tosca – South Korea
· Chevrolet Epica – Europe and Kazakhstan
· Chevrolet Tosca – Iceland
· Holden Epica – Australia and New Zealand
Coincidentally, the Daewoo Magnus (code name V200), which preceded V250, was also sold as Chevrolet Epica in some markets including Europe, Canada, China, Latin America, Arabia, and Micronesia.
The Chevrolet Epica (V250) was sold until 2015, but in Australia, the Holden Epica was discontinued by Holden as early as 2011 due to poor sales.
Powertrain
2006
The Holden Epica is a front-wheel drive car with a transversely-mounted straight-six engine. In its launching, it was powered by a Porsche-designed XK I6 engine, which was available in two displacement versions:
· 2.5L XK I6 petrol engine, 5-speed MT or 4-speed AT
· 2.0L XK I6 petrol engine, 5-speed MT or 4-speed AT
For the South Korean market, this powertrain was also available:
· 1.8L D-TEC petrol engine, 5-speed MT or 4-speed AT
2007
In 2006, GM Daewoo, GM Powertrain, and VM Motori jointly developed the first diesel engine to be used on a Daewoo. This turbocharged diesel engine was first used on the Daewoo Winstorm (aka Holden Captiva) in 2006 and on the Holden Epica in 2007. The Epica powertrain using this engine came with the following specs:
· 2.0L RA 420 SOHC I4 common-rail turbodiesel, 5-speed MT or 5-speed AT or 6-speed AT
2008
Several significant updates were introduced in 2008, including modified rear combination lamp and bumper. The update also included new 6-speed automatic transmissions in the following versions:
· GM 6T40 for the 2.0L and 2.5L petrol engines
· GM 6T45 for the 2.0L diesel engine
Phasing out
2011-2014
Holden started phasing out the Epica in 2011 due to its poor performance in the Australian and New Zealand markets. In 2011, the eighth-generation Chevrolet Malibu replaced the Daewoo Tosca in South Korea. The same thing happened to the Chevrolet Epica in China in the same year and in North America in 2012. In 2013, the Holden Malibu debuted in Australia. Long before the final Chevrolet Epica units rolled off the production plant in China in 2014, the global market had already welcomed its successor.
Summary of Holden Epica powertrains
Through its 8-year production run, the Holden Epica/Chevrolet Epica/Daewoo Tosca was produced with the following combinations of powertrain:
· 2006 – 2.5L XK I6 petrol engine, 5-speed MT or 4-speed AT
· 2006 – 2.0L XK I6 petrol engine, 5-speed MT or 4-speed AT
· 2006 – 1.8L D-TEC petrol engine, 5-speed MT or 4-speed AT
· 2007 – 2.0L RA 420 SOHC I4 common-rail turbodiesel, 5-speed MT or 5-speed Aisin AF33 AT
· 2008 – 2.5L XK I6 petrol engine, 6-speed GM 6T40 AT
· 2008 – 2.0L XK I6 petrol engine, 6-speed GM 6T40 AT
· 2008 – 2.0L RA 420 SOHC I4 common-rail turbodiesel, 6-speed GM 6T45 AT