Daewoo LeMans

Daewoo LeMans

1994–1995 Daewoo 1.5i sedan (Australia).
Manufacturer	Daewoo Motors
Production	1986–present
Predecessor	Daewoo Maepsy Pontiac Acadian Pontiac T-1000 Pontiac Sunburst (Canada)
Successor	Daewoo Lanos
Class	Subcompact
Body style	3-door hatchback 4-door sedan 5-door hatchback
Layout	Front-engine, front-wheel drive
Platform	GM T platform
Related	Opel Kadett E

The Daewoo LeMans/Racer is a subcompact car, first manufactured by Daewoo Motors in South Korea between 1986 and 1994. It was replaced by the facelifted Daewoo Cielo—a car mechanically identical to the LeMans, differentiated only by its modified styling cues. The Cielo was subsequently replaced by the subcompact Daewoo Lanos and compact Nubira in 1997, except in some Central Asian markets for which production of the four-door continues in Uzbekistan.

Like all Daewoos preceding it, the LeMans took its underpinnings from a European Opel design. In the case of the LeMans, the GM T platform-based Opel Kadett E was the donor vehicle, essentially just badge engineered into the form of the LeMans, and later as the Cielo after a second more thorough facelift.

In markets outside of South Korea, the original version of the car bore the Asüna GT, Asüna SE, Daewoo 1.5i, Daewoo Fantasy, Daewoo Pointer, Daewoo Racer, Passport Optima and Pontiac LeMans names. The original Opel donor car had also been badge-engineered for the United Kingdom market as the Mark II Vauxhall Astra in hatchback form and Vauxhall Belmont as a saloon.

The LeMans was updated in 1994 and renamed the Daewoo Cielo in South Korea and some other international markets; the "LeMans" nameplate was not used at all for the facelifted model. Five-door hatchback models exported to Europe were badged Daewoo Nexia with the Daewoo Racer name used seemingly at random on various bodystyles. The Daewoo Heaven name has also been used.

1986–1994: Daewoo LeMans

First generation

Also called	Asüna GT (Canada 1991–1993 hatchback) Asüna SE (Canada 1991–1993 sedan) Daewoo 1.5i (Australia) Daewoo Fantasy (Thailand) Daewoo Racer Daewoo Pointer Passport Optima (Canada 1988–1991) Pontiac LeMans
Production	1986–1995
Predecessor	Daewoo Maepsy-Na
Successor	Daewoo Cielo
Engine	1.5 L I4 1.6 L I4 2.0 L I4
Transmission	4/5-speed manual 3-speed automatic

The original series Daewoo LeMans was available as a three-door hatchback and a four-door sedan when introduced in July 1986.^[1] Sales of the LeMans in North America began in 1988, where it was sold as the Pontiac LeMans. The LeMans was one of the first aerodynamically designed cars to be sold in South Korea, and the first to feature a digital dashboard.^[1]

For the 1989 model year in the US, more models were released: the new lineup included a sportier Pontiac LeMans GSE, positioned similarly to the Opel Kadett GSi, equipped with a 96 hp (72 kW) 2.0 litre four-cylinder engine. The GSE was available in a monochromatic paint scheme in red, white or silver with 14 inch alloy wheels, fog lights and a rear spoiler. The GSE also received the Recaro-style seats of the Kadett. A Pontiac LeMans SE sedan with upgraded equipment from the base and LE models also had the 96 hp (72 kW) 2.0 litre four-cylinder engine, also used in the Pontiac Sunbird. In North America, poor quality tarnished sales and the Pontiac LeMans and Asüna SE/GT were discontinued after 1993 with no replacement. Later that year, the Asüna brand was discontinued altogether.

The five-door hatchback body style was known as the Daewoo LeMans Penta5 in South Korea, while the three-door was called Daewoo Racer and only the sedan was called LeMans. Korean market cars received a 1.5 litre engine (with 89 PS/65 kW) as there was a severe tax penalty for cars with larger engines.^[1] In October 1991 the LeMans received a facelift, with a reworked front and superficially changed taillights. This version was called the Asüna SE/GT in the Canadian market, where it replaced the Passport Optima. When South Korean production of the original LeMans finally came to an end in February 1997, over 1 million had been built.^[1]

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  1994–1995 Daewoo 1.5i sedan (pre-facelift; Australia)

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  1991–1993 Asüna GT hatchback (facelift; Canada)

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  Daewoo Fantasy sedan (facelift; Thailand)

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  Daewoo Racer Van (facelift)

1994–1997: Daewoo Cielo

Second generation

Also called	Daewoo Cielo Daewoo Heaven Daewoo Nexia Daewoo Racer Daewoo Super Racer Chevrolet Nexia
Production	1994–1997 (ROK) 1995–2002 (VNM) 1996–2008 (EGY) 1996–2007 (ROU; sedan only)[2] 1996–present (UZB)
Assembly	Bupyeong, South Korea Cairo, Egypt (Daewoo Motors Egypt) Asaka, Uzbekistan (UzDaewoo)[3] Craiova, Romania (Rodae)[4] Lublin, Poland (DMP)[5] Hanoi, Vietnam (VIDAMCO)[6]
Successor	Daewoo Lanos
Engine	1.5 L I4
Transmission	5-speed manual 4-speed automatic 3-speed automatic
Wheelbase	2,520 mm (99 in)
Length	Sedan: 4,482 mm (176 in)
Width	Sedan: 1,662 mm (65 in)
Height	Sedan: 1,393 mm (55 in)

The second generation LeMans launched in 1994, available as a three- and five-door hatchback and four-door sedan with a 1.5 litre eight-valve or a 1.5 litre 16-valve engine. These new models were still based on the Opel Kadett E, underpinned by the "T-car" platform. There were various trim levels available; in the United Kingdom, where the car sold as the Daewoo Nexia, these were GLi (8-valve) and GLXi (16-valve) for the general public, with a "base" model available for large contracts. Unlike the Kadett, there was never a station wagon version available. Some European markets got the "Lifestyle" trim level; Spain and Portugal badged their GLi/GLXi equivalents "Chess"; the Benelux countries kept the GLi/GLXi trim levels. The GLi has an average performance with a 0–100 km/h time of 11.3 seconds and 85 hp (63 kW). However, the GLXi upped the power to 90 hp (67 kW) and the 0–100 km/h time was reduced to 10.5 seconds.

The Cielo was made in India by DCM Daewoo Motors until the Korean Daewoo company went bankrupt. GM did not take over the Indian plant in Surajpur near Delhi and it was liquidated. Production in South Korea came to an end shortly after the 1996 introduction of the Daewoo Lanos, an original design.

Uzbekistan (1996–present)

In Uzbekistan, UzDaewooAuto continues to manufacture the four-door sedan version of the Nexia, of which production began in June 1996.^[7] A number of other Daewoo/Chevrolet models are produced and sold in Uzbekistan and neighbouring Kazakhstan, Russia, Moldova, Azerbaijan and Ukraine. Nowadays it is available with three engines: a 1.5 litre SOHC (56 kW/75 hp), 1.5 litre DOHC (62 kW/83 hp) and 1.6 litre DOHC (81 kW/109 hp). The 1.6 version has more powerful brakes and transmission with additional long main gear. A facelift of the car, known as the Nexia II was presented at Tashkent, Uzbekistan in 2008.^[8] It was designed in the UK by Concept Group International LTD with cooperation of GM-Uzbekistan. In the Uzbekistani market, the Nexia II is sold under the Chevrolet, as opposed to under the Daewoo brand, while some export markets continue to receive the car as the "Daewoo Nexia".

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  Daewoo Nexia in Poland

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  Daewoo Cielo rear view

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  Daewoo Cielo 5-door hatchback

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Limb, Jae-un (2010-03-08). "Blast From the Past #17: First flag-bearer of a carmaker’s global ambitions". Korea JoongAng Daily. http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2917471. Retrieved 2011-07-02. 
2. ^ "Daewoo Cielo - Technical info". Daewoo Automobile România. Archived from the original on 2008-10-21. http://web.archive.org/web/20081021044327/http://www.daewoo.ro/en/modele/cielo/tehnic.php. Retrieved 2011-09-29. 
3. ^ "Uz-Daewoo in figures". Uz-Daewoo. http://en.uzdaewoo.ru/in_figures/. Retrieved 2011-09-09. 
4. ^ "Daewoo in Romania - Istoric" (in Romanian). Daewoo.ro. Archived from the original on 1998-01-27. http://web.archive.org/web/19980127123727/http://www.daewoo.ro/dwr/istoric.html. Retrieved 2011-07-27. 
5. ^ "Historia Daewoo Motor Polska" (in Polish). Daewoo.Lublin.pl. http://www.daewoo.lublin.pl/historia.html. Retrieved 2010-11-01. 
6. ^ "March 1995: First product built up". GM Vietnam. http://gmvietnam.com.vn/index.php/en/company/history.html. Retrieved 2011-09-09. 
7. ^ "UzDaewoo Auto Turns 10 Years". Embassy of Uzbekistan in Belgium. http://www.uzbekistan.be/press-releases/205-206.html. Retrieved 2009-10-24. 
8. ^ "Cielo cu facelift" (in Romanian). ProMotor. http://www.promotor.ro/noutati-auto-auto-diverse/articol-daewoo-nexia-2-2552783. Retrieved 2010-11-23.