Daewoo Matiz II M200 (2005–2009)

From M3X concept to Matiz II

The M200 was previewed by the Chevrolet M3X concept at the 2004 Paris Motor Show. Italdesign Giugiaro again shaped the body, this time with sharper lines, swept-back headlights and body-coloured door handles and mirrors.

Under the skin the changes were selective. The rear suspension moved from a three-link beam axle to a twist beam, the front lower control arms became cast rather than pressed steel, and the S-Tec engines were updated. A lower drag coefficient helped fuel economy. Inside, a new dashboard put the instruments in the centre of the facia.

For the earlier car and the later Spark, the overview of every Matiz generation puts the M200 in context.

Two engines, an automatic and LPG

German M200s used two petrol engines, both with a timing belt, front-wheel drive and a five-speed manual as standard. All figures below are manufacturer data from the ADAC catalogue.

Both engines met Euro 4. Compared with the first generation, the 1.0 gained 2 kW and 4 Nm, and official consumption fell by roughly a litre per 100 km on both engines. In 2008 the 0.8 was revised to bring CO2 below 120 g/km for the UK market.

The automatic was offered only with the 0.8 and costs a lot of performance: almost 22 seconds to 100 km/h. LPG versions arrived in Germany in December 2005. In Italy, BRC Gas Equipment built the Matiz Eco Logic from 2007 to 2010, reportedly more than 60,000 cars, and the EcoLogic name reached German price lists in 2009.

Matiz II dimensions and capacities

The M200 is the same length and width as the first generation but 15 mm taller, and the boot grew. The table shows the 1.0 SE.

The 600 kg (1,323 lb) braked towing figure is quoted for a 12 per cent gradient. Brakes are discs at the front and drums at the rear, and power steering is standard.

Euro NCAP 2005 and standard safety kit

Euro NCAP tested the Chevrolet Matiz five-door in 2005 and gave it 17 points for adult protection, 30 for child protection and 13 for pedestrians. The adult rating showed three stars with the last one struck through, while child protection earned three stars and pedestrian protection two.

Wikipedia lists this test under the M200, and Italian site SicurAuto reported that the car did worse than the previous series in the side impact. Neither the 2005 nor the 2000 result should be read across to the other generation.

The frontal test also showed risks to the knees and thighs of both front occupants from structures behind the dashboard, and weak protection for the driver's lower legs. The rear ISOFIX anchorages were not marked clearly enough for Euro NCAP. AM Online noted that the Matiz was the only car in that round without a seat-belt reminder as standard.

On paper the equipment improved on the first generation. ADAC lists driver and passenger airbags, ABS, rear ISOFIX with top tether, and a three-point belt and head restraint for the centre rear seat as standard on German cars.

Prices and versions in Germany

ADAC records the German list prices for the M200, which show how the range was built up. These are prices when new, not current values.

ADAC treats the cars from September 2007 as a facelift of the second generation; Wikipedia refers to the generation as M200/M250. The LPG versions were priced from EUR 10,640 (0.8 LPG S) in 2005.

Plants and names around the world

The M200 had a long life outside Korea. Changwon built it from 2005 to 2009, alongside other Korean cars of the period, and when the M300 arrived the Korean car continued as the Matiz Classic, with the 0.8 engine only.

• India: GM's Halol plant built the car from 2007 to 2017, sold as the Chevrolet Spark.
• Pakistan: Nexus Automotive in Karachi, 2006 to 2009, as the Chevrolet Joy.
• Colombia: GM Colmotores in Bogotá, 2006 to 2016, including taxi versions.
• Vietnam: assembled from kits as the Spark Lite.

Mexico knew it as the Matiz G2 and Pontiac Matiz, and some European markets used the Chevrolet Spark name. In Europe the successor, the M300 Chevrolet Spark, arrived in the first quarter of 2010. The Daewoo model catalogue lists the related models, and the background to the GM takeover is covered in the history of Daewoo Motors.