FT Says, "Daewoo Matiz One of the Best Cars"

The Financial Times reported on December 5 that Korean carmaker Daewoo's 'Matiz', photo, is one of the top cars of the year.
FT's car specialist Stuart Marshall wrote in his column 'Inside Track' an article titled 'Motoring: It's small and tall and that's fine', in which he stated, 'The Matiz is one of the beat cars I have driven this year, even if it also happens to be the cheapest.'
Stuart Marshall continued, 'Daewoo does not pretend that the Matiz is a rival for the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, but then it hardly could be at less than half the price.'
He enumerated the merits of the Matiz as follows: comfortable inside space; surprizingly competent 50 HP engine which makes it possible for the radio to be enjoyed at 120 kph; compact size to park or to drive 'through gaps larger cars would have had to ignore'; and a 'cradle to grave' motoring package with a three-year warranty.
Daewoo sold 169,019 cars from January through September this year in Eastern European countries which was an increase of 23.4% from the same period last year, while the market share leader Volkswagen sold 191,050 cars, a 1.3% decrease from last year.
Daewoo has been operating six car factories in Eastern European countries since 1995.