2001 DAEWOO Matiz 0.8L 5MT FWD (52 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Three years after it launched the Matiz on the European market, the Korean carmaker Daewoo added the first facelift to its small-segment vehicle.

The car was based on a 1992 design study signed by Fabrizio Giugiaro from Italdesign. While the concept was made for Fiat for its then-future 500 model, it ended up as one of the best-selling vehicles built by the Korean automaker. The initial launch of the Matiz happened in 1998, but three years later, Daewoo made some changes to make the car more appealing to European customers.

Built with an egg-shaped bodywork, the new version sported a new front fascia where the turn signals were moved upward on the bumper. Previously these were corner-mounted and exposed to small bumps while parking in tight spots. The hood was also redesigned, and its lower edge looked more like a smile, giving the car a happy face. At the back, the carmaker replaced the taillights with newly designed ones that offered better illumination for the reversing lights.

While it fixed most of the problems claimed by customers, the interior was left mostly untouched. Apart from new upholstery colors, there was nothing new on the interior. The AC unit was still offered only as an option and only for the upper trim levels.

Under the car’s tiny hood, Daewoo installed the same 0.8-liter inline-three powerplant for most of the markets, while a Suzuki-sourced inline-four with a one-liter displacement was available in a few countries.