IP Automotive LTD. (1982-92 Urbana)

[Knugcab]

2013-18 IP DRYAD (UF20)

With the sedan market shrinking in some of the important markets, and with IP getting some criticism for having too many model series cannibalizing each other, the decision was done to gradually start replacing four of their compact sedan lines with one. The new line of compact sedans was launched in 2005 and called the IP Dryad (model code UF10).

The IP Colibri remained in production, but only as a hatchback since the sedan disappeared from the lineup, while the IP Commuter, Warbler and Lily ended production, and the new Dryad was placed more or less in between the Commuter and Warbler, both when it came to size, technology and price.

In 2013 the second generation Dryad (UF20) was released. A car more or less following in the footsteps of its predecessor, a compact sedan without too much in the way of fancy equipment or technology, but that was doing its job well.

Three engines were available, all of them four cylinders with a displacement of 1.6, 1.8 or 2 litres. The 2.5 litre 5-cylinder that was available in the sportier variants of the UF10 disappeared. Available gearboxes were 5- or 6 speed manuals, or a 7 speed DCT. Chassis technology was relatively simple, Mc Pherson struts up front and torsion beam in the rear

The UF20 Dryad was produced not only at the plant in Sanju, Ariya. It also saw production at the plants in Hermosillo (Mexico), Changsha (China) and Rayong (Thailand).

The second generation Dryad was produced until the 2018 model year, when its successor, the UF30, arrived.

[ketchup66]

That looks really nice! Reminds me of Nissan Altima and a couple other midsize sedans

[Knugcab]

Thanks! I feel that designing modern stuff is hard (and so do many people) but Xian’s latest molding pack is sometimes helpful (even if my subtle use of it didn’t show very well in the pics) and 2013 you still didn’t really have to fall into the “microwaved origami” trap, like @doot calls it…

[ketchup66]

Xians molding has helped me out to, my cars sometimes lack in molding so having the extra molds gives its a more modern touch. And yeah the early 10s were before grilles occupied 90% of the front and the lights have crazy led designs.

[Knugcab]

I actually used the X-shaped Lexus style grille for the whole front here, just put in a bumper bar to separate top and bottom part. At least what I have noticed myself, that is kind of how cars looked just before the giant grille trend, with just cutting off some plastic you could actually give them a giant gaping hole, but with upper and lower grille still being divided they had a more subtle look. With some (cough Audi cough) exceptions of course…

[Knugcab]

1980-93 SANJU MDM44 “WOLVERINE”

So, is this an IP? Rather, the opposite. Sanju heavy industries is the parent company of IP, and among the things they make, are trucks and other heavy vehicles, which unlike the passenger cars are named after the parent company, both for civilian and military use.

The MDM44 “Wolverine”, introduced in 1980 and built until 1993, was one of the models seeing pure military use. With the cab being used for years by various Sanju medium duty trucks, it had a kind of aging exterior already as new, which hardly bothered the audience. What was more interesting, though, was the 4.8 litre V8 that powered it. Literally a doubled 2.4 litre IP “4Z” engine, it shared many parts with that one. It also was built to be very fail proof. For example, it had dual ignition systems, something that was made possible by the dual spark plug design already utilized by the 4Z. Also, each one of the carbs more or less had its own fuel system all the way from the dual fuel tanks. In case of failure of one of the components, it would still run, albeit not optimal.

The chassis was of course more heavy duty stuff than featured on the civilian trucks, fact is that it was a completely fresh design despite the dated exterior. Four wheel drive was of course standard equipment, combined with an enormous ground clearance, locking differentials and aggressive thread pattern on the tyres, this was virtually unstoppable offroad - as long as you had space for it. The gearbox was a 2x5 twin stick configuration.

The MDM44 “Wolverine” saw various uses, the radio communications vehicle seen here being one of the more rare variants. Not only was it used by the Ariyan army but also exported to various countries.

The last deliveries of MDM44s was done in 1993.

[Knugcab]

1955-59 LILY

The second generation IP Lily was introduced for the 1955 model year. It now featured a fully modern styling with a ponton body shape, now built on an unibody platform instead of a ladder frame like its predecessor.

Only one bodyshape was available - a 2 door sedan. The pickup, wagon and van versions was now it separate series, the IP Rugger, built on the old chassis from the first generation Lily.

Except for the unibody, it was a rather conservative car technically. Worth to notice is that it at least recieved a 4 speed gearbox. Other than that it was a RWD car with double wishbone front suspension and a solid rear axle with leaf springs.

Worth to notice styling wise: The tombstone grille from the first generation, inspired by the one used on the Sanju trucks, was now gone. A styling feature that gradually was going to reappear in the late 60s.

Two trim levels were available, the 850 Standard and the 1000 DeLuxe. The numbers, of course, was indicating the engine displacement. The Standard had the 850 cc engine from the first generation Lily while the DeLuxe had an all new 1 litre engine. Both being OHV inline 4 cylinders though.

While the standard was bare bones, the DeLuxe was rather well equipped for an economy car, with a 2 tone paintjob, dual exterior mirrors, hood ornament, chrome wheel trim rings, backup lights, a 2 tone nylon/leatherette interior, radio, cigar lighter and dual sun visors.

The second generation Lily was produced until the 1959 model year.

[Happyhungryhippo]

A fitting design for the period, with once again impressive amount of detail work.
Reminds me of BeamNGs Satsuma 210, well done.

[Knugcab]

Well, the Satsuma 210 is, IIRC, based on the Datsun 1000 which is one of my inspiration sources here (mainly for the front design).

[Knugcab]

1990-01 IP ROYALIST

A new generation of the IP Royalist was really something that did not happen every year. The second generation Royalist had been built since 1965, so obviously the third generation more or less was new from the ground up, with hardly a bolt remaining from the old model.

Like its predecessor, it had a V8. But even that one was a completely new affair, this time an all alloy engine, with 32 valves, two camshafts per cylinder bank and variable valve timing. It had a displacement of 4.5 litres, and depending on market and year, it had a power output around 295 hp. The power was, as usual for the era, transmitted to the rear wheels via a 4 speed computer controlled automatic transmission.

A new multilink rear suspension gave great handling and comfort, but up front it still used McPherson struts, which had been a choice favoured by IP for years. Later in the 90s, though, high end models were slowly starting to switch over to a double wishbone layout.

There were two trim lines available. The low end GLX that really was loaded with luxuries already as it was, and the top of the line VIP, featuring a hand built interior tailored to the customer’s taste. Even though the annual production reached way higher levels than its predecessor ever had seen, the third gen Royalist was still an exclusive car, built in relatively few examples per year, until the 2001 model year.

[Knugcab]

1997-2010 IP BRIGADIER

The serious offroader in IP’s lineup had always been the Brigadier, with its body on frame construction and solid front axle. In production since 1950, the fifth generation was introduced in 1997.

Technically, it was heavily based on its predecessor, that had introduced coil spring suspension to the model in 1987, enhancing comfort and offroad performance. The body was all new, though, with a more rounded look than its boxy predecessor.

Just like its predecessor, it was available as a 3- or 5-door SUV, as well as a pickup truck (called the “Uti-Lite”) and a cab-chassis version.

During its lifespan, the model was available with three different gasoline engines, 4.2, 4.5 and 4.8 litres, all inline six cylinders based on the same design, and inherited from the previous version. Three diesel engines were available, 2.8, 3 and 4.2 litres, all inline six cylinders. Available transmissions were a 5 speed manual, and depending on model year, a 4- or 5-speed auto.

With its knobby tyres, generous ground clearance, coil sprung solid axles all around, hi- and low-range 4x4 and locking differentials, there was no doubt that the Brigadier was intended as a serious offroad machine.

Three trim levels were available. A very basic “S” version, that was a pure workhorse with things like vinyl upholstery and rubber floor mats. A more passenger car like “DX”, and the model shown, the top of the line “GLX” that added things like wood trim and leather upholstery.

The fifth generation Brigadier was produced until the 2010 model year.

[Knugcab]

1966-70 COMMUTER

With the IP Lily starting to grow out of its class, the smaller Commuter was released in 1966. A rather conventionally built car that still utilized a front engine and rear wheel drive.

Up front, it strangely enough used a double wishbone suspension while other IP models were switching over to struts. The rear was as conventional as it could be - a leaf sprung solid axle. Another sign of rather conservative engineering was that it still used a ball type steering.

There was only one engine available (albeit with different power outputs), a newly developed 1 litre inline 4, with a pushrod valvetrain, iron block and alloy head.

There were multiple body styles available, a 2 door sedan, as well as a 4 door, a 3 door wagon, also available in a panel van variant, and this stylish 2 door fastback coupé.

Trim levels included the bare bones “S” and the somewhat more luxurious “DX”. The coupé could also be had in this sporty “GTX” version.

In the GTX, dual carbs, a tubular exhaust manifold and a “hotter” camshaft bumped up the power output to 63 hp. It would be a stretch to call it fast by modern standards, but a top speed of 156 km/h and a 0-100 time of 12.8 seconds wasn’t that bad for an economy car in the 60s.

On the outside, the GTX package included a “sportier” grille, fog lights, chrome B-pillar trim, a vinyl roof, radial tyres with “sports” type hubcaps, twin tailpipes and side stripes.

On the inside, a full instrumentation with round dials replaced the strip type speedo and “idiot lights”, there was a wooden steering wheel as well as gearknob, the front seats were reclining and had headrests, and there was also a “GTX” badge above the glovebox.

The first generation was produced until the start of 1970, when the second gen took over as a “1970½” model.

[Hshan]

Cool taillights. Why was it made for just 4 years?

[Knugcab]

I am running this company with generally relatively short lifespans for models, as was common in the far east. *

*(Uhm, because car production in the far east at the time = Japan, but didn’t want to make a Japanese company, so after a time of being inspired by Rk38 and Maesima and attempting to put it in some fictive country, an attempt that really sucked, I decided to put it in Ariya that was a result of some project by @BannedByAndroid to introduce more regions to Automation, that never took off IIRC).

[Knugcab]

2002-2008 IP RUBIQ

After a hiatus for some years, the IP Rubiq returned for a second generation in the 2002 model year.

Like its 90s predecessor, it was a vehicle built on a passenger car based FWD platform, somewhere in between a SUV, MPV and station wagon. The rugged, retro-chic styling remained, even though the second generation looked a lot smoother, rounder and less utilitarian than the first generation.

Using components from the IP Urbana instead of the Commuter, the Rubiq shrunk a fair bit in size, even though its upright, square shape still gave decent interior space.

Despite the looks, it was clearly not built for going offroading. The two tone paint and canvas roof was included in the standard equipment, to complement the retro-chic look.

Up front, captains chairs were standard equipment, and the 2-tone vinyl/alcantara upholstery gave it a bit more upmarket look, even if the interior mostly was supposed to be utilitarian and minimalistic.

The only transmission available was a 4 speed automatic, which was maneuvered by a column stalk, for a more “airy” feeling inside. It was always mated to a transverse 1.5 litre inline 4, making 100 hp.

To further add to practicality and flexibility, the back seat was split 40/20/40. Long loads with 4 passengers in the car was no problem at all.

Wood trim in the luggage compartment protected the carpet, and contributed to the retro, utilitarian concept.

The second gen Rubiq was produced until the 2008 model year.

[Hshan]

Funky!

[Knugcab]

Thanks! I really tried my best to nail the aesthetics of how something trendy should look during the iMac era and I think I somehow got it right.

(The protruding inside door handles needs fixing I see now, wasn’t that obvious when putting the interior together)

[Restomod]

This is neat!

[ketchup66]

Do You make facelifts? Just a question

[Knugcab]

I guess I should do them for realism…but generally I hate doing them since it complicates having multiple bodystyles…