GM Daewoo exports Chevrolet Spark to Europe

SEOUL, Nov. 20 (Yonhap) -- GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co., the South Korean unit
of U.S. carmaker General Motors Co., said Friday it has begun exports of
Chevrolet Spark to European markets, the first step by GM to sell the mini-car in
more than 150 countries.
GM Daewoo started selling the Spark in South Korea from September this year under
the name of Matiz Creative. Equipped with a 1-liter gasoline engine and a
four-speed automatic transmission, the Spark can travel 17 kilometers per liter.
The Spark underlined GM's focus on small cars as it recently emerged from
bankruptcy protection after painful reorganization.
"Given its performance, design and quality, the Matiz Creative is expected to
satisfy the needs of customers around the world," said Hwang Woo-seong, head of
GM Daewoo's plant in the southern city of Changwon, where the mini-car is
produced.
By the end of this year, GM Daewoo expects to export about 20,000 units of the
Spark, the company said in a statement.
In the first 10 months of this year, GM Daewoo's vehicle sales plunged 41.3
percent from a year ago to 457,537 units, the company said earlier.
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