SEOUL -- The T2X concept from GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co. offers a peek at Chevrolet's design future. The T2X also hints at a future Chevrolet compact SUV for Korea and Europe. And it shows the increasing sophistication of GM Daewoo's styling team.

The T2X premiered at the Seoul Motor Show last week. It is based on the same architecture as the S3X show car, which will be the basis of a compact SUV that GM Daewoo will begin building next year for Korea and Europe.

GM has not commented on possible U.S. sales.

GM Daewoo assembles the Chevrolet Aveo for U.S. dealerships.

A version of the T2X with a Chevrolet front end will debut at the Frankfurt auto show in September. That front end, and the muscular wheel arches of the T2X, will become part of a new look for all U.S. and global Chevrolet vehicles in the future.


The T2X combines "the athleticism of an SUV with the sculpted shape of a sports car," says David Lyon, executive director of design for GM Daewoo and GM Asia-Pacific.

Inside, the car emulates the look of modern sports gear. That means load space with multiple configurations, and also implies luxury to the car's target buyers.

"When you consider what someone in their 20s and 30s pays for a mountain bike, it's a luxury item," Lyon says.

The car was designed by a five-person team, all but one of them Korean. The team's styling sense thus grew from the Korean design milieu. Korea's pop culture and design have eclipsed Japan's to become the trendsetters in Asia.