On a similar note to my previous post, yet another automotive brand has been sent to the coffers. Daewoo, the erstwhile Korean brand, which expanded and grew exponentially in the early nineties before going bankrupt in the late nineties only to be acquired by General Motors, has become the latest victim, this time due to badge engineering by its parent company. General Motors has decided to rebadge all Daewoos as Chevrolets throughout the world, including South Korea.
If you think that this is already happening, you are not wrong. All Daewoos are being sold as Chevrolets in most parts of the world except South Korea, the home country of Daewoo. Even in India, models which are sold as Chevrolets – Beat, Spark, Aveo, Optra and Captiva are all actually re-badged Daewoos. But, GM has decided that its time to kill off the Korean brand even in its home country. Knowing how patriotic Koreans are when it comes to all things Korean, this will turn out to be a very crucial decision in GM’s Asia operations. Officially, GM Daewoo Automotive Company in South Korea has been renamed as GM Korea.
For lovers of the Matiz - Daewoo’s superbly-styled, multiple award-winning and most popular car ever, of which I am one, it’s going to be tough to imagine it as a Chevy. Daewoo now joins an already exhaustive list of automobile brands killed off within the past one year. The list includes brands such as Hummer, Saturn, Pontiac and Mercury, the former three belonging to GM and the last one belonging to Ford. Rest in Peace, Daewoo.
If you think that this is already happening, you are not wrong. All Daewoos are being sold as Chevrolets in most parts of the world except South Korea, the home country of Daewoo. Even in India, models which are sold as Chevrolets – Beat, Spark, Aveo, Optra and Captiva are all actually re-badged Daewoos. But, GM has decided that its time to kill off the Korean brand even in its home country. Knowing how patriotic Koreans are when it comes to all things Korean, this will turn out to be a very crucial decision in GM’s Asia operations. Officially, GM Daewoo Automotive Company in South Korea has been renamed as GM Korea.
For lovers of the Matiz - Daewoo’s superbly-styled, multiple award-winning and most popular car ever, of which I am one, it’s going to be tough to imagine it as a Chevy. Daewoo now joins an already exhaustive list of automobile brands killed off within the past one year. The list includes brands such as Hummer, Saturn, Pontiac and Mercury, the former three belonging to GM and the last one belonging to Ford. Rest in Peace, Daewoo.
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