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Photo of a Daewoo Tico

Daewoo Tico

Korea's first minicar: five doors, 796 cc and a Suzuki Alto family tree.12

Researched October 25, 2026 from 27 sources

Also called

  • Runs on the smell of gasolinePeriod city economy of 24.1 km/L inspired it; a 1997 SX test averaged 5.5 L/100 km.34
  • White sugar cubeEarly white cars earned this nickname from their square shape.3
  • Red radish cubeThe square body gave early red cars this color-based nickname.3

At a glance

0100200
40.2–40.4 hpPower
01020
17 s0–100 km/h
0100200
143 km/hTop speed
0150300
59–60 N·mTorque
05001,000
620–680 kgWeight

The coral arc spans the family, from its mildest version to its wildest.246

Engine
796 cc Suzuki-derived F8C gasoline inline-three6
Layout
Front engine, FWD; 5-door hatch, 3.34 x 1.40 x 1.395 m6
Gearbox
4/5-speed manuals; 3-speed automatic; 1997 clutchless 5-speed67
Built at
Changwon, South Korea; FSO, Poland; Rodae, Romania; UzDaewoo, Uzbekistan2
Units built
126,369 assembled by Daewoo-FSO in Poland, 1996-20015

The story

Born from a government plan for affordable motoring, Korea's first minicar put Suzuki Alto engineering in a 3.34 m, five-door body. Tico blends Tiny/Tight with Convenient/Cozy/Companion; some Latin American markets called it Fino.123

1989: Ground breaks at Changwon19891991: Production starts; June sales follow19911993: Super Tico gets aero bumpers19931994: Korean facelift reshapes the nose19941996: 100,000 sales and Polish assembly19961997: Five speeds, no clutch pedal19971998: Matiz arrives; Tico stays in production19982001: Korean exports and Polish assembly end20012002: Romanian assembly ends at Craiova2002 Suzuki Alto (first generation) (SS30V/SS40V): 1979–1984Suzuki Alto / Fronte (second generation) (CA71V/CA72V/CC71V/CC72V): 1984–1988Suzuki Alto / Fronte (third generation) (CL11): 1988–1994CL11Daewoo Tico: 1991–2002Daewoo TicoDaewoo Matiz: From 1998Daewoo Matiz 19801990200020102020
GenerationsBefore and afterMilestones2151718
Show the numbers
YearWhat happened
1979–1984Suzuki Alto (first generation) (SS30V/SS40V)
1984–1988Suzuki Alto / Fronte (second generation) (CA71V/CA72V/CC71V/CC72V)
1988–1994Suzuki Alto / Fronte (third generation) (CL11)
1991–2002Daewoo Tico
From 1998Daewoo Matiz
1989Ground breaks at Changwon
1991Production starts; June sales follow
1993Super Tico gets aero bumpers
1994Korean facelift reshapes the nose
1996100,000 sales and Polish assembly
1997Five speeds, no clutch pedal
1998Matiz arrives; Tico stays in production
2001Korean exports and Polish assembly end
2002Romanian assembly ends at Craiova
  1. 1989

    Ground breaks at Changwon

    Daewoo Shipbuilding and Suzuki's people's-car project gets a factory: construction starts in April to make affordable motoring a reality.1

  2. 1991

    Production starts; June sales follow

    Series production begins in February and sales in June; around 30,000 find buyers in the first year.1

  3. 1993

    Super Tico gets aero bumpers

    The Super Tico adds aerodynamic bumpers and two-tone paint; the Tico reaches Poland in June.15

  4. 1994

    Korean facelift reshapes the nose

    Revised bumper indicators and the lower grille accompany folding mirrors and added wheel-arch trim.6

  5. 1996

    100,000 sales and Polish assembly

    Korean sales pass 100,000 as minicar incentives cut registration tax and halve highway tolls. SKD assembly starts at Warsaw's FSO plant.15

  6. 1997

    Five speeds, no clutch pedal

    On October 15, Korea's first passenger car with a clutchless manual goes on sale; an electronically controlled hydraulic actuator operates the clutch.7

  7. 1998

    Matiz arrives; Tico stays in production

    The Matiz arrives, but the financial crisis keeps the cheaper Tico in production alongside its successor.1

  8. 2001

    Korean exports and Polish assembly end

    Korean export builds end after domestic sales stop in 2000. Daewoo-FSO finishes its Polish run with 126,369 assembled.158

  9. 2002

    Romanian assembly ends at Craiova

    Romanian assembly ends, completing a 1998-2002 run at Craiova's Rodae plant.2

Every generation

  • Suzuki Alto (first generation)
    SS30V/SS40V1979–1984
  • Suzuki Alto / Fronte (second generation)
    CA71V/CA72V/CC71V/CC72V1984–1988
  • Daewoo Tico
    Daewoo Tico1991–2002
  • Daewoo Matiz
    Daewoo MatizFrom 1998

Versions

12 versions worth knowing, with their power.

  • Standard

    SE (early Korean range)

    1991–1994

  • Standard

    PM (early Korean range)

    1991–1994

  • DX (early Korean range)

    Standard

    DX (early Korean range)

    1991–1994

  • Standard

    SR (early Korean range)

    1991–1994

  • Standard

    SE / SL / SX (revised Korean range)

    1996 model year

  • Standard

    SX (Poland)

    1997

    40 hp

  • Standard

    SX-DLX (Poland)

    1998 facelift

  • Standard

    SG (Korea)

    1999 model year

  • Standard

    Super Tico (Korea)

    1993–1995

  • Standard

    Sport (Colombia)

  • Standard

    Two-seat van (Korea)

  • Special

    Tico Khan (concept)

    1995

How to spot one

Look for

  • Angular five-door hatchback with a flat, upright tailgate.1213
  • Rear TiCO lettering has a red dot on the i.6
  • Tiny 12-inch wheels.13
  • Nearly square in cross-section: the body is almost as tall as it is wide.14
  • Rear fog and reversing lamps are mounted in the bumper.13

Year by year

  1. 1993 (Korea)

    Super Tico introduced aero bumpers and two-tone paint.1

  2. 1993 / 1996 (Poland)

    Early Korean imports differed from later Żerań cars in headlamps, bumpers, colors and equipment.41314

  3. 1994 facelift (Korea)

    Reshaped bumper indicators and lower grille, folding mirrors and arch trim; side repeaters moved to the bumper sides.6

  4. 1996 model year (Korea)

    New colors included pale purple and pale blue; seats and door trim switched to a brighter design.9

  5. 1998 facelift (Poland)

    Body-color bumpers, tinted windows and a rear spoiler joined the basic specification.14

  6. 1999 model year (Korea)

    The SG top grade wore body-color bumpers; power windows and automatic door locks were also included.11

Don’t confuse it with

  • Photo of a Daewoo Tico
    Tico
    Photo of a Suzuki Alto / Fronte (third generation)
    Suzuki Alto / Fronte (third generation)

    Suzuki Alto / Fronte (third generation)

    Check the steering wheel: Suzuki never built this Alto generation in left-hand drive, while the Tico was made with left-hand drive.15

  • Photo of a Daewoo Tico
    Tico
    Photo of a Fiat Cinquecento
    Fiat Cinquecento

    Fiat Cinquecento

    Count the doors: the Cinquecento is three-door, while the Tico has a separate pair of rear passenger doors.1016

  • Daewoo Matiz

    The Matiz has flowing curves and round headlights; the Tico keeps straight edges and a squared-off hatch.1212

Against its rivals

  • Tico vs Fiat Cinquecento 900

    New-car price lower is better

    Tico191,000,000 old PLN
    Fiat Cinquecento 900194,000,000 old PLN
    16
  • Chevrolet Sprint

    Tico vs Chevrolet Sprint

    New-car price lower is better

    Tico9,293,000 COP
    Chevrolet Sprint12,200,000 COP
    12

The rest of the story is in the app

The full file tells why each version matters, the legend behind the car and what to check before buying one.

  • Versions

    • Why each of the 12 versions matters

  • Legend

    • 13 stories from its legend
    • “Over 800 km to a Hermandad class win”
    • “Darim's patrol Tico survives in Gunsan”

  • Generations

    • The story of each of the 5 generations

  • Market

    • 6 things to check before buying one
    • Where prices are heading, and why
Read the full file in SPOT

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Sources

Every fact on this page links to the source it rests on.

See all 27 sources
  1. 광고로 돌아보는 경차 역사 이야기 1부. '작은 차 큰 기쁨! 티코!' blog.gm-korea.co.kr
  2. Daewoo Tico - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  3. 【mycar 풀 스토리】 대우 '티코' "기름냄새로도 가는車" 별명 국민車사업 일환 91년 탄생 - 매일경제 mk.co.kr
  4. Daewoo Tico wygrywało z Fiatem Cinquecento. Był to kandydat na auto rodzinne lat 90. auto-swiat.pl
  5. Daewoo Tico - koreański maluch automobilia.pl
  6. 대우 티코 m.namu.moe
  7. 대우자동차, 반자동 변속기 장착 티코 시판 - 전자신문 etnews.com
  8. [특별했던차]대우국민차 티코 | 모토야 v.daum.net
  9. 대우자동차 96년형 티코 시판 - 매일경제 m.mk.co.kr
  10. Fiat Cinquecento czy Daewoo Tico? 25 lat temu ten test rozgrzał całą branżę auto-swiat.pl
  11. 99년형 티코 판매 대우자동차 - 매일경제 mk.co.kr
  12. Historia del Daewoo Tico en Colombia: Mira la esencia, no las apariencias elcarrocolombiano.com
  13. ClassicAuto classicautomag.pl
  14. Używane Daewoo Tico - prostota na kołach autokult.pl
  15. Suzuki Alto - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  16. Daewoo Tico kontra Fiat Cinquecento | „Motor” nr 36/1995 - Magazyn auto magazynauto.pl
  17. Suzuki Alto (SS30V) - Autocade autocade.net
  18. Suzuki Alto (CA71V) - Autocade autocade.net
  19. '신세계'부터 '기생충'까지, 한국 영화 속 잊지 못할 자동차 10 | Hypebeast.KR | 하입비스트 hypebeast.kr
  20. 시티레이서 : A, B, C, S, R, G 클래스 차량 소개 - 시티스트 ctracer.co.kr
  21. GONZÁLEZ OBTUVO SU SEGUNDO GRAN PREMIO DE LA HERMANDAD radiopolar.com
  22. Mini car was cramped, ugly, feeble and revolutionary koreajoongangdaily.com
  23. “티코가 진짜 국민 경차죠” | 아주경제 ajunews.com
  24. Łódzka "Ticomatizacja 2005", czyli... Zlot małych, ale "wypasionych" wiadomosci.wp.pl
  25. Ten samochód nie miał prawa przetrwać. Kosztuje dziś 5000 zł. wrc.net.pl
  26. Opis techniczny Daewoo Tico • AutoCentrum.pl autocentrum.pl
  27. Benzyna E10 – Infomacje - Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych Spółka Akcyjna fso-sa.com.pl
  • blog.gm-korea.co.kr
  • en.wikipedia.org
  • mk.co.kr
  • auto-swiat.pl
  • automobilia.pl
  • m.namu.moe
  • etnews.com
  • v.daum.net
  • m.mk.co.kr
  • elcarrocolombiano.com
  • classicautomag.pl
  • autokult.pl
  • magazynauto.pl
  • autocade.net

Photo credits

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