Korean Luxury

Michael Grimaldi arrives on stage at the Seoul Motor Show in a new rear-wheel-drive luxury car labeled the L4X, which will be sold in Korea starting sometime next year.

“The L4X gives us a strategic position in the very important premium large-car market,” Grimaldi, president and CEO of GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co., tells Ward's.

The competitive luxury large-car market in Korea sees annual sales of roughly 50,000 units and is important for brand image and profitability due to higher margins.

The L4X was designed and developed primarily by GM Holden Ltd. in Australia, which has been designated as General Motors Corp.'s global-development center for large RWD cars.

Some GMDAT designers from the Bupyeong center were assigned to work at GM Holden to assist in the project. Features include a TV/DVD and power adjustable rear seats with massage capability.

In addition to the new large car, Grimaldi says the trio of Chevrolet minicar concepts — called the Beat, Groove and Trak — shown recently at the New York auto show are precursors to an all-new GMDAT minicar lineup to be built at its Changwon plant within the next three years.

The small cars will be sold globally under different names and likely different brands. In some markets, they will replace the best-selling Matiz II minicar.