In several Asian, Australasian, and European export markets, the "Daewoo Kalos" name was also used, only to be later renamed "Chevrolet Aveo" or Holden Barina in the case of Australia.

Under development before Daewoo's bankruptcy, the Kalos was the company's first new model introduction following its subsequent takeover by General Motors.

[6] Manufacture of the Kalos began in early March 2002,[7] with pre-production prototypes shown at the Geneva Motor Show in April 2002.

During this three-year development period Daewoo was struggling financially, with the ultimate fate of the company and the concept vehicle remaining uncertain.

When sales in Europe began in 2003, the headlights were an integrated unit that slanted upwards from the "V-shaped" grille towards the front fenders.

In Australia, when the Daewoo Kalos was introduced in 2003, the hatchback featured the integrated lighting arrangement, with the detached style used to differentiate the sedans.

All body styles meet North American subcompact and European supermini or B-segment size classifications.

[11] Per the German Verband der Automobilindustrie (VDA) standard, 5-door hatchbacks featured 175 litres (6.2 cu ft) of cargo space with the rear seats in their upright positions and 735 litres (26.0 cu ft) with the rear seats folded down, with a maximum payload rating of 495 kg (1,091 lb).

Daewoo engineers refined the chassis in Britain, on the proving ground at Motor Industry Research Association near Nuneaton, UK.

[13] According to an April, 2003 GMDAT press release, Daewoo built 119 prototypes during the Kalos's design and development, crashing 31 for research and data-gathering purposes,[12] and manufacturing 39 pilot production vehicles to verify standards and quality.

46% of the Kalos' underlying structural components were produced with high-strength steel, with tailor-welded blanks used in the production of the vehicle to put strength where needed while saving weight.

The front suspension used MacPherson struts with offset coil springs and a stabilizer bar, while the rear featured a semi-independent torsion beam axle.

[14] All Kalos iterations featured high H-point seating within a relatively narrow, short and high-roofed body that combined a long wheelbase with short front (81 cm or 32 in) and rear (49 cm or 19 in, hatchback) overhangs to maximize the outward visibility, interior space and maneuverability for the vehicle's footprint.

Based on market priorities and price point control, some safety equipment is either unavailable or available only as extra-cost options (including side airbags, ABS, foglights and a rear center position three-point seatbelts and headrests.)

A revised sedan was introduced in April 2005 at the Shanghai Motor Show, designed in cooperation with the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC).

[20] Incorporation of the radio antenna into the rear glass and extensive wind tunnel testing helped reduce the coefficient of drag from 0.348 to 0.326.

[21] A restyled hatchback with the sedan's updated instrument panel was presented as the Chevrolet Aveo during the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show,[22] to be marketed in Europe and North America.

The Korean market's restyle of the hatchback, the Gentra X, featured a less distinct/more "normal" grille treatment that formed the basis for the Holden, Pontiac and Suzuki-branded variants.

The T250 model has been tested by the European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP):[23] These ratings apply only to 4-door sedan Aveo.

Besides production in Bupyong, South Korea (between 2002 and 2011), the Kalos and Aveo models have also been assembled in Poland (2007–2011), Ukraine (2004–present), Russia (2005–2012), Kazakhstan, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, China, India, Thailand, Egypt and Mexico.

The Aveo was promoted in the Bollywood film Ta Ra Rum Pum with decals on the race cars, but the cars were ARCA-spec Chevrolet Monte Carlos.The television commercial of the Chevrolet Aveo UV-A features Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan.

As of 2011, VIDAMCO of Vietnam produces the T250 sedan in complete knock-down (CKD) form at its Hanoi production facility.

[40] Production in Poland ended in February 2011, when UkrAVTO decided moving it to Ukraine, where it would be assembled only for the local market and the CIS states.

[48] The Aveo was introduced for its market debut in a 60-second television advertisement [49] that first appeared on New Year's Eve 2003, created by the firm of Campbell-Ewald, directed by Michael Bay[50] and featuring the song Magic Carpet Ride by Steppenwolf.

It featured the Aveo descending the Twin Peaks of San Francisco and making an airborne leap highly reminiscent of Steve McQueen's Ford Mustang in the movie Bullitt, before boarding the car carrier.

Two other fifteen second TV ads also created by the firm of Campbell-Ewald,[51] spotlighted the Aveo: "Pachyderm" showing an elephant, chased down a city street by an Aveo and "Big Little," in which four basketball players who enter the car appear tiny in big seats, highlighting the vehicle's interior volume.

In February 2004, GM issued a "stop delivery" order, to investigate five accidents that occurred in a tight time frame just as the Aveo was introduced to the US market.

For the 2009 model year, the Suzuki Swift+ was updated in styling and a new Opel ECOTEC 106 hp 1.6 engine receiving 7.9 L/100 km for city and 5.7 for highway from the previous 8.9/5.9, shared with the Pontiac G3 Wave and Chevrolet Aveo.

Upscale features available on upper trims include the OnStar in-vehicle telematics system, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, a six-speaker premium audio system with "A"-pillar mounted tweeters, a power, tilt-and-sliding sunroof, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with available remote audio system and cruise controls, fifteen-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, and perforated leatherette-trimmed seating surfaces with perforated front and rear door panel inserts, and faux wood interior trim panels on Aveos equipped with the Neutral (Beige) interior.

[58] It continued to be in production until 2017, when the T250 was succeeded by the third generation Chevrolet Sail (badged as Aveo in Central American markets).