Daewoo Chairman

 From 1997

Manufacturer	SsangYong Motor
Production	1997–present
Class	Full-size luxury car
Body style	4-door sedan

The SsangYong Chairman is a full-size luxury car manufactured by the South Korean automaker SsangYong Motor. A long-wheelbase model is also available and is favored by some limousine operators in South Korea. In 2008, Chairman was renamed Chairman W to differentiate the new model from the older Chairman H, as both are still in production.

History

When it came out first to South Korean market in 1997, Chairman was a high-end executive sedan. Its manufacturer, SsangYong, was famous for its SUVs and RVs and Chairman has been its only sedan. The 1st generation Chairman was built on a 1980s Mercedes-Benz E-Class (known as the W124) platform, but styled to resemble a 1990s Mercedes-Benz S-Class (known as the W140).

 Chairman H (1997–present)

SsangYong renamed the pre-2008 Chairman model as Chairman H to differentiate from Chairman W. Chairman H kept same exterior, interior, engine, transmission and features as the previous models. In 2003, the Chairman received restyled front grille, front and rear headlights and improved interior assembly.

The 2005 Chairman H (although based on the 1995 Mercedes-Benz W124) had a lot of electrical features for a car from that year and for a car of that price, including: heated and cooled cup holders, rear parking sensors, rain-sensing wipers, anti-lock brakes, stability and traction controls, illuminated "Chairman" signatures on the door scuff plates and the back seats are individually electrically controlled and can move backwards when the engine is turned off to improve access; the driver's seat and the steering wheel behave in a similar way.

Although sold globally, the Chairman H sold very poorly outside Korea, due to both poor reviews and a lack of SsangYong dealerships. This was in part rectified by labelling the car Daewoo in some countries, which also included the Daewoo corporate grille.

In 2011, the Chairman H was once again redesigned, still keeping its Mercedes-Benz design cues.

 Engines

 Chairman W (2008–present)

SsangYong developed their own all-new flagship Chairman W, New Chairman with V8 5-litre engine and 7G-Tronic of Mercedes-Benz. The Chairman W is derived from the SsangYong WZ concept car. The 'W' stands for 'World Class.'

Chairman W is offered in six trims with two engines, a limo version, and an additional AWD 4-Tronic (Mercedes-Benz 4Matic). XGi360, once used for New Chairman, is transferred to the entry model with a six-cylinder engine, and the 5-liter V8 Mercedes-Benz M113 engine and the 7G-Tronic automatic transmission (the largest V8 engine produced in South Korea) are applied to two high-end models, VVIP and the long-wheel-base version. It has an electronic air suspension system with a rebound coil that helps reduce noise and vibration, as well as an extended rear passenger space and the front and rear both have their own screen to control the car's entertainment system, similar to Chrysler's MyGig.

The Chairman W is the first Korean luxury sedan to apply a four-wheel drive system, a feature common in high-end European sedans.

 Engines