The Daewoo Chairman was the Daewoo-badged form of the SsangYong Chairman, a full-size luxury saloon that SsangYong launched in Korea in 1997. Built on the platform of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class W124 but styled like a modern S-Class, it was the only saloon SsangYong ever made, and in some export markets it was sold by Daewoo.
Daewoo Chairman at a glance
| Maker | SsangYong, sold as a Daewoo in some markets |
|---|---|
| Class | full-size luxury saloon |
| Launch | South Korea, 1997 |
| Platform | Mercedes-Benz E-Class W124 |
| Styling | a modernised Mercedes-Benz W140 S-Class look |
| Daewoo sales | until 2002 |
| 2003 update | new front grille, headlights and interior assembly |
| 2005 equipment | heated and cooled cup holders, rear parking sensors, rain-sensing wipers |
| Safety | anti-lock brakes, stability and traction control |
| Renamed | Chairman H in 2008, alongside the new Chairman W |
| Discontinued | announced 23 November 2017 |
History of the Daewoo Chairman
A saloon from an SUV maker
SsangYong was best known for SUVs and recreational vehicles, and the Chairman, released in Korea in 1997, was its only saloon. The first-generation car used the platform of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class W124 but was styled more like a modernised W140 S-Class. The resemblance was close enough to cause consternation in Germany: Mercedes-Benz asked SsangYong to redesign the car so that it looked less like a Mercedes and to keep it out of developed export markets such as Europe and the United States.
The Daewoo version
The Chairman was sold globally but did poorly outside Korea, partly because of poor reviews and partly because SsangYong had few dealers. Rebadging the car as a Daewoo in some countries was a remedy, and the Daewoo version also wore the Daewoo corporate grille. Daewoo offered it until 2002 and did not replace it until 2005, when the Daewoo Statesman, a rebadged Holden, arrived.
Updates and the later cars
In 2003 the Chairman received a restyled front grille, new front and rear lights and better interior assembly. The 2005 car, still on the W124 platform, came with heated and cooled cup holders, rear parking sensors, rain-sensing wipers, anti-lock brakes and stability and traction control. In 2008 SsangYong renamed the original model Chairman H to separate it from the new Chairman W, and the H kept the same body, engines and equipment. It was redesigned again in 2011 and stayed on sale in Korea in small numbers: the Korean manufacturers’ association recorded 1,718 Chairman H sales in 2014. SsangYong announced the end of the Chairman on 23 November 2017, after just over twenty years.
Design and features
- Mercedes bones: the W124 platform and Mercedes-derived engineering under a Korean body.
- Flagship comfort: heated and cooled cup holders, rain-sensing wipers and parking sensors.
- Daewoo grille: the export version carried Daewoo’s corporate front end.
- Long life: the original design remained in production as the Chairman H until 2017.
Daewoo Chairman versions
- Chairman (1997–2002): the car Daewoo sold in some markets.
- 2003 restyle: new grille, lights and interior assembly.
- Chairman H (2008–2017): the same car renamed after the Chairman W arrived.
The Chairman shared its Mercedes-derived engineering with the Musso and the Korando. More cars are in the Daewoo collection.
Sources
- SsangYong Chairman, English Wikipedia: history, Daewoo version, equipment, production end
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