GM Daewoo launches new 'Tosca' sedan

GM Daewoo Auto and Technology Company (GMDAT) has announced that it would launch the new 'Tosca Premium 6', South Korea's first mid-sized sedan equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission and other upgrades.

Company officials say that the wide 6.14:1 overall ratio of the new 'hydra-matic' automatic transmissions optimises engine use and delivers improved fuel economy at high speeds compared to typical four-speed automatic transmissions.

The wide overall ratio enables the Tosca Premium 6 with a 2.5-litre engine to deliver up to 15 per cent better fuel economy compared to its predecessor with a five-speed automatic transmission when constantly driven at 90-120 km/h.

"This is the first application of a six-speed automatic transmission in a mid-size sedan built by a Korean automaker," said GM Daewoo President and CEO Michael A Grimaldi. "It will further improve the performance and fuel efficiency of the vehicles we sell here and abroad.''

GM Daewoo, a unit of General Motors and South Korea's third-largest automaker,  announced earlier this month that it intends to sell 140,000 vehicles in the country in 2008, up 7.2 per cent from last year, with several new models.