(20 Aug 04)

Earlier hints that GM Daewoo was considering dropping the Daewoo brand name in most of its markets seem to have been closer to the truth than was admitted at the time. Reports from Korea make it clear that a move of this kind may be made as early as next year.

This has nothing to do with stopping production - rather the reverse, because, whatever it's to be called in the future, the company will continue with its plan, as the decade wears on, of building far more cars than ever before. With one or two export market exceptions, though, it seems that outside Korea the Daewoo name - always rather ambitious, with its meaning of something like "the whole universe" - is likely to drop into the history books.

Since the GM takeover in 2002, various Daewoo models have been exported to North America bearing Chevrolet and Suzuki badges, with Chevrolet the favoured name in Central and South America, as well as in some Asian markets.

It's rather more complicated than that, though. As the Korean newspaper Chosun has been pointing out, while the Matiz is sold in China as the Chevrolet Spark, the Lacetti is the Buick Excelle.

If the change goes ahead, it looks as if one of the few export markets to persevere with the Daewoo name will be Vietnam. And what would be the point of calling the cars Chevrolets in the UK?

Daewoo Road Tests

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