Daewoo was trying to evolve and asked its R&D department to develop a new vehicle based on the Leganza model, and the result came in 2002 as the Magnus.
In 2002, the Korean carmaker still stood on its feet and tried to expand its lineup. After a few successes recorded by the re-badged Cielo/Opel Kadett, Daewoo tried something more significant: the Leganza in 1997, followed by the Magnus in 2002.

Since the Korean carmaker didn’t have enough experience in designing a successful car from scratch, it hired ItalDesign (Giugiaro) to draw the lines for the Magnus. It featured unique, double-curved headlights with sharp angles at the edges, following the new-edge design concept. The mix of curved surfaces and strong lines defined the car and formed an elegant-looking sedan. Even though it resembled the Leganza, Daewoo built the vehicle on a new platform with a longer wheelbase. Overall, the car was 10 cm (3.9”) longer than that and marketed as an executive sedan.

Inside, the Evanda was very roomy, with five seats. Even though the dashboard sported average-quality plastic trims, it looked good enough for its segment. On the full options trim level, it featured a radio-cassette player and 6-CD in-dash changer.

Under the hood, Daewoo installed a 2.0-liter inline-four carried over from the Leganza and a newly developed 2.5-liter inline-six. Both versions were paired either with a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission.