CarBrandLogos archive · Daewoo · 2002

DaewooKalos

Giugiaro's supermini that spent most of its life badged as a Chevrolet.

Photo: OSX · Public domain

The story

A defining chapter in Daewoo history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Daewoo Kalos, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

The Kalos replaced the Lanos as GM Daewoo's supermini, arriving in 2002 with an Italdesign body — Giugiaro again — offered as a three- or five-door hatchback and a four-door saloon. James C. Shyr handled the 2006 exterior update. Mechanically it was simple and cheap: transverse S-TEC and E-TEC fours, front-wheel drive, a five-speed manual or a four-speed Aisin automatic.

2009 Pontiac G3 · IFCAR · Public domain

Design and engineering

Its significance is less about the car than about the badge on it. GM used the Kalos as its global entry-level model, selling it as the Chevrolet Aveo in North America and Europe, the Suzuki Swift+ in Canada and under a string of other names elsewhere. Production spread to China, Mexico, Colombia and Ecuador, and licensed versions continued long after Korean assembly ended in 2011. For many buyers in many countries, this unassuming Korean supermini was their introduction to Chevrolet.

2009 Chevrolet Aveo Eco Logic 3door · Corvettec6r · Public domain

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

2002–2011

Engine

1.2 L Daewoo S-TEC engine

Body

3/5-door hatchback

Technical specification

The Kalos, in detail.

Production: 2002–2011 (South Korea); 2002–2023 (under license)
Class: Subcompact car
Body style: 3/5-door hatchback; 4-door sedan
Layout: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive
Engine: 1.2 L Daewoo S-TEC engine; S-TEC Straight-four engine; I4 (Petrol engine; petrol) ; 1.4 L GM Family 1 engine#E-TEC; E-TEC I4 (petrol) ; 1.5 L GM Family 1 engine#E-TEC; E-TEC I4 (petrol) ; 1.6 L GM Family 1 engine#E-TEC;
Transmission: 4-speed Aisin 80-40LE automatic; 5-speed manual
Designer: Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign; James C. Shyr; (2006; exterior)
Assembly: South Korea: Bupyeong-gu ; China: Yantai (Shanghai GM) ; Mexico: San Luis Potosí (San Luis Potosí Assembly) ; Colombia: Bogotá (GM Colmotores; GM Colombia, until November 2013) ; Ecuador: Quito (:es:General Motors OBB; G
Manufacturer: GM Daewoo