CarBrandLogos archive · Daewoo · 1998

DaewooMatiz

A rejected Fiat proposal that became a global city car.

Photo: MercurySable99 · CC BY-SA 4.0

The story

A defining chapter in Daewoo history.

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

Origins

Giorgetto Giugiaro had drawn a tall, friendly little city car for Fiat and been turned down. Daewoo, hunting for something to replace the boxy Tico at the bottom of its range, bought the design instead. The result was the Matiz: a five-door hatchback barely longer than three and a half metres, with a high roof, a short bonnet and a cabin that made remarkable use of the space available.

daewoo matiz 0001 · Chu · CC BY-SA 3.0

Design and engineering

It arrived in 1998 into a European market where the A-segment was still an afterthought, and undercut almost everything in it. Buyers who expected a penalty box found a car that was easy to see out of, easy to park and cheerful in a way its price did not suggest. It became Daewoo's most successful model by volume and one of the very few the company was genuinely proud of.

2005 Daewoo Matiz Xtra Cool 1.0 Rear · Vauxford · CC BY-SA 4.0

In production

When GM took control of Daewoo, the Matiz stayed. Later generations were sold across the world as the Chevrolet Spark, and the line ran under one badge or another until 2022, with licensed derivatives in China and elsewhere outliving Daewoo itself.

2007 Chevrolet Matiz SE 1.0 Rear · Vauxford · CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

1998–2022

Body

5-door hatchback

Technical specification

The Matiz, in detail.

Production: 1998–2022
Class: City car (A)
Body style: 5-door hatchback
Layout: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive
Manufacturer: Daewoo Motors (1998–2002) ; Rodae (1999–2008) ; GM Daewoo (2002–2011) ; GM Korea (2011–2022)

Explore Daewoo Read the full reference ↗

Badge at launch