As an adopted child now confirmed as a member of the family, the Chevrolet Optra ditches its three-section Daewoo grille and gets a new chrome Chevrolet ‘face’ to make it part of the family. It’s to Pininfarina’s credit that the Chevy ‘bowtie’ actually looked quite at home on the original Optra, and since it was only sold as a GM-Daewoo model in Korea and certain European markets, most of us were unaware of its Daewoo. origins.
More importantly, as the launch model for the Chevrolet brand in Singapore two years ago, its beautiful Italian styling lines and solid build quality helped ensure that the American brand gained a strong market presence. It is no coincidence that in all dimensions, the Optra is almost identical to the Toyota Corolla Altis, the car to beat in this segment.
While the new grille helps make it look more like a Chevrolet, it also solidifies GM’s commitment, not only to its Korean operations, but also to its Southeast Asian production facility based in Rayong, Thailand. Of the three Optra models sold here, the Station Wagon and Optra5 hatchback are made in Korea, but the sedan is made in Thailand. This explains why the Korean models received the new family grille before the sedan.
The new front end of the Optra is the most visible improvement, but the gear ratios have been raised to make the Optra quieter with better fuel efficiency. The 1.6-liter E-TEC engine is still understated, but it loses out to top Japanese engines for its smoothness and refinement. It’s still a well-built car, and the fit and finish show no sign of it being Korean / Thai in origin. There is indeed a very European feel to the Optra, from the well-weighted power steering to the German-style quality of the dashboard. The zigzag drive gate and the mix of wood and metal surfaces are also very European.
The Optra, like the rest of the Aveo range, is a rare success story for GM, and the American giant is using it to establish a foothold in major markets in Asia Pacific. It is sold in China as the Buick Excelle and it has just been announced that Holden will sell it as the Viva in Australia. GM has definitely benefited from rescuing Daewoo from bankruptcy, a far cry from some of its less successful American ventures, such as the $ 1 billion spent on the now-defunct EV1 electric car program, or the Saturn factory facility in Tennessee. . , which continues to bleed the company to death nearly 20 years later.
Given that things are looking bleak for GM in Europe as well, it’s perhaps no surprise that the Optra has been given a new face and that the GM family embraces it so warmly.
