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This is my garage of Hyundais and Daewoos.... I have owned a Daewoo once so it was a kind of special feeling.

Chevy back after half a century Don't expect models like Corvette yet, but look out for the Chevy Optra, styled by the Italian design house known for its Ferraris By Christopher Tan Bye, bye Miss American Pie Drove my Chevy to the levee But the levee was dry... THAT seminal line from Don McLean's evergreen will have a new ring for motorists here when the brand that is as American as apple pie makes a comeback this week - after an absence of nearly five decades. Advertisement http://ads.asia1.com.sg/image.ng/Params.richmedia=yes&site=tsti&size=300X250 General Motors, which owns the Chevrolet among several other brands, will relaunch it on Thursday after nearly a year of preparation. But Singaporeans old enough to remember classic Chevys like the Impala and Camaro, or younger petrol heads yearning a ride in the Corvette, might be disappointed. Models like those won't be coming here any time soon. Most of the Chevys due here are rebadged models from Daewoo, which GM took over last year. This doesn't mean car buyers won't have anything new to look forward to. Chevy agent Starsauto, which sold Daewoo previously, will offer the Chevy Optra, a 1.6-litre sedan styled by Pininfarina, the Italian design house best known for its Ferraris. The Optra is called Daewoo Lacetti elsewhere. Asked why GM was replacing Daewoo with Chevrolet, its regional corporate communications manager Karen Goh said: 'Chevrolet is GM's largest brand, with over 3.6 million units sold last year. Chevrolet products are mainstream and GM's strategy is to make it the mainstream brand in the Asia Pacific.' In the Asia Pacific, the marque is used in Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Japan and China. Veteran motoring columnist Winston Lee said: 'It's an astute marketing move. Chevrolet is a much more established brand; and it has more cachet than Daewoo.' Besides the Optra, there will be the Chevrolet Aveo hatchback (Daewoo Kalos), and Chevrolet Vivant recreational vehicle (Daewoo Tacuma). Ms Goh said GM will also showcase two high-end models: the Chevrolet Lumina, a 3.8-litre V6 sedan made by GM's Holden plant in Australia, which also has a 5.7-litre V8 coupe version. These will be made available later if there is 'sufficient demand'. None of the Chevys bound for Singapore will be made in America. Instead, they will be assembled in South Korea and Thailand. The Optra, for instance, will be made in GM's Rayong plant in Thailand. The plant also rolls out the Alfa Romeo 156 and Opel Zafira. Ms Goh said Starsauto, part of listed Wearnes International, will 'continue to provide after-sales service and support to Daewoo owners'. The Korean brand will continue to be sold in some markets.