GM Daewoo Auto and Technology revealed its latest mini car Matiz in Seoul last week. The car will go on sale in Europe by 2010 and will be later sold in over 150 countries across the world. GMDAT will assemble these cars in India along with other countries like Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Columbia to cater to the overseas demands. However, it is not very clear about a possible launch in India.
"GM Daewoo has a very bright future. The Matiz Creative showcases that GMDAT is a major manufacturing base for GM Daewoo to produce mini-cars," said Michael Grimaldi, GM Daewoo chief executive.
GMDAT is Korea’s third largest car manufacturer and came into existence in 2002 when GM took over the bankrupt Daewoo Motor Co. "We wanted to make it stand apart from a typical mini-car. We positioned it as a mini-car offered at the price of mini-car but still offering a style to suit urban lifestyles and engine power," said Taewan Kim, vice president of GM Daewoo Design.
The car can accommodate five adults and is powered by a new 1,000-cc DOHC engine which has earned Korea's Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle rating. Average fuel economy is put at 6 litres per 100 kilometres. The company has already received 5000 orders for the car that had a preview last month.
