GM Korea Lacetti / Cruze History

The Daewoo Lacetti was the first car produced under the GM Daewoo nameplate, introduced in 2002 as a replacement for the Nubira. Its sedan and wagon were styled by Pininfarina; its five-door hatchback by Giorgetto Giugiaro. Sold in dozens of countries under names including Chevrolet Optra, Suzuki Forenza, Holden Viva, and others, the Lacetti became the template for GM Korea as a compact-car development centre.

A clean-sheet second generation — internally coded J300 and sold in Korea from November 2008 as the Lacetti Premiere — was developed primarily by GM Korea engineers on the Delta II platform. It was a genuine global car from the outset, engineered to meet the safety and emissions standards of every major market simultaneously. When GM Korea adopted the Chevrolet brand domestically in March 2011, the Lacetti Premiere became the Chevrolet Cruze.

The Cruze went on to sell over 2.5 million units globally in its first generation, making it one of GM's most successful world cars. A second-generation Cruze was launched in 2015 with sharper styling and improved efficiency. GM Korea's Gunsan plant — dedicated Cruze production site — was closed in May 2018 as part of a broader restructuring, and production in North America and Mexico ended in 2019.