When Daewoo bought the rights to produce a modified version of the European Opel Kadett, it got it for three body shapes, including the sporty-looking three-door hatchback.
While Daewoo didn’t know exactly what to offer to the European customers, it went for a verified method: it took one of the most successful compact cars on the market, reshaped its lines, and sold it under its badge. That’s the short story of how the Cielo/Nexia appeared on the market.

With its curved lines and remodeled headlights, the Cielo/Nexia surprised the customers. It was simple, reliable, and reasonable running costs. While its four-door cousin was assembled in a few European countries, Daewoo built the hatchback exclusively in Korea. In the three-door version, its long rear window and sloped tailgate made the car look sporty in the same way the former Kadett looked, but with curvier lines.

Inside, the dashboard design and the layout of the buttons couldn’t hide its origins or age. While most of the cars on the market already switched to curved lines, the Cielo/Nexia couldn’t hide its aged design. Daewoo carried over the boxy-looking instrument cluster with buttons on the sides from the former GM product. On the center stack, it featured a similar layout for the HVAC and the cassette-player. For the rear passengers, Daewoo installed a narrow bench and two pop-out side windows.

Underneath the refreshed bodywork, it offered a 1.5-liter engine. In the beginning, it featured an 8-vales system. Later on, a 16-valve system was adopted. Both versions were paired to a 5-speed manual. A 4-speed automatic was available for selected markets.