Daewoo · 1986–2016

Daewoo Nexia

The Daewoo LeMans is a compact car, first manufactured by Daewoo in South Korea between 1986 and 1994, and between 1994 and 1997 as Daewoo Cielo — a car mechanically identical to the LeMans, differentiated only by its modified styling cues. 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 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 "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. The Cielo was subsequently replaced by the subcompact Daewoo Lanos and the compact Nubira in 1997, except in Russia where the production lasted from 1996 to 1998 and Uzbekistan where the production started in 1996 and lasted until the end of 2016. In Uzbekistan, the local manufacturer UzDaewoo Motors (later GM Uzbekistan, now UzAuto Motors) produced exclusively the second generation of the LeMans and badged it as Daewoo Nexia.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Daewoo Racer · Successor: Daewoo Lanos

All Daewoo Nexia data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

First generation (LeMans; 1986)

The original series Daewoo LeMans was available as a three-door hatchback and a four-door sedan when introduced in July 1986. The LeMans was one of the first aerodynamically designed cars to be sold in South Korea, and the first to feature a digital dashboard. The hatchbacks' bodywork differed in subtle ways from the German models: unlike the original, the three-door model received swing-out rear windows (not on the lowest priced models), while the five-door design used the sedan's rear doors and sloping C-pillars rather than retaining the three-door's notched window line. Sales of the LeMans in North America began in mid-1987, where it was sold as the Pontiac LeMans. The LeMans was also sold in Canada through General Motors' Passport International Division as the "Optima." This car was sold in Australia as the "Daewoo 1.5i", with both hatchback and sedan bodywork. 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 or 65 kW) as there was a severe tax penalty for cars with larger engines. 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. Pontiac LeMans. For the 1988 model year, Pontiac began selling the LeMans as their smallest model in the United States, thereby reviving the LeMans nameplate. The captive import was offered in three-door hatchback and four-door sedan bodystyles. In Canada, GM rebranded the LeMans t

Second generation (Cielo; 1994)

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. 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 and some markets added ETi and STi specifications. The GLi has an average performance with a 0–100 km/h time of 12.5 seconds and 80 PS (59 kW) at 5,400 rpm. There was also a version with single-point fuel injection and 70 PS (51 kW) for lower-spec versions. The more luxurious GLXi received a sixteen-valve engine which upped the power to 90 PS (66 kW) at an unusually low 4,800 rpm, and the 0–100 km/h time was reduced to 12.2 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. Prototype. There was a prototype of the Nexia debuted in 1995 at the Seoul Motor Show - the NGV 3 (NGV meaning Nexia Green Vehicle). From the outside it looks like a regular Nexia, except that it was powered by an electric motor. Marketing and production. ==== United Kingdom ==== Daewoo first exported cars to Europe in the mid-1990s, with the Nexia and Espero forming the two-model line-up in Britain from January 1995. Daewoo was the first manufacturer to sell cars on the British market directly to customers rathe

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Daewoo LeMans, Daewoo Cielo
Manufacturer: Daewoo
Production: 1986–1997 (South Korea), 1996–2007 (Romania), 1995–2016 (license-built models)
Class: Compact car/small family car (C)
Body style: 3/5-door hatchback, 4-door sedan
Layout: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive
Platform: GM T platform
Related: Opel Kadett E
Predecessor: Daewoo Maepsy, Pontiac Acadian, Pontiac T-1000, Pontiac Sunburst (Canada)
Successor: Daewoo Lanos, Daewoo Nubira

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q498570CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daewoo_LeMansCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1368896351 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Daewoo_Nexia_front_20071228.jpgCC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo: Rudolf Stricker · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.