DAEWOO is planning a sustained product offensive following its acquisition by General Motors in an effort to become a 'respected value' brand.

Hardy Spranger, executive in charge of of the GM Daewoo transition team, is confident the company fits well within the GM brand portfolio.

'Saab clearly sits at the top, while Vauxhall/Opel is migrating up into a new customer group,' he says. 'Our role is to support Vauxhall/Opel so they don't have to reach into the bottom end of the market.'

Daewoo launches the Kalos at the end of November, which believes can achieve 10,000 UK sales. The five-door supermini is based on a new platform developed at the Daewoo technical centre in Worthing, Sussex. A three-door variant is also under development and is due in 2004. Early next year, the Evanda, which replaces the ageing Leganza, will be launched followed in May by the Nubira replacement, codenamed J200. Both have been developed by Daewoo.

Spranger believes it will be a couple of years before Daewoo models will come to market using GM platforms and engines.