Seoul Auto Show: GM Daewoo L4X

SEOUL, S. Korea — GM Daewoo will join the evolving market in South Korea for large rear-wheel-drive sedans with a companion model to the upcoming Pontiac G8. A concept version of the Daewoo sedan, badged as the L4X, made its debut last week at the Seoul auto show.

GM Daewoo said the L4X is "close to a production version." It did not specify when the actual production model would go on sale, but sources in South Korea expect to see the big sedan reach Daewoo dealers in 2008.

Basic engineering, as with the Pontiac G8, was done by GM's Holden subsidiary in Australia.

The L4X features GM's 3.6-liter V6 mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. The engine delivers 258 horsepower and 251 pound-feet of torque.

In South Korea, the production version of the L4X will compete with Hyundai's upcoming premium sedan, a rear-wheel-drive successor to the home-market Dynasty, recently previewed at the New York auto show as the Genesis concept. Unlike the Hyundai sedan, however, GM has no plans to market the big Daewoo sedan in North America. A companion model, expected to be badged as a Buick, is expected to make its debut later this month in China at the Shanghai auto show.