Chevrolet Damas Export From Korea: Microvan & Labo Guide (2026)

A Chevrolet Damas export from Korea typically costs $2,000 to $6,000 FOB, depending on year, mileage, seat layout, and whether it runs on petrol or LPG. The Damas is a 0.8-litre cab-over microvan built by GM Korea in Changwon, sold as a 2-, 5-, or 7-seat van and — as the Chevrolet Labo — a light pickup. It is one of the cheapest, most practical Korean commercial vehicles you can import, and a default workhorse across Central Asia. SH GLOBAL sources these GM Korea microvans directly, so buyers skip dealer markups.

What Is the Chevrolet Damas?

The Chevrolet Damas is a kei-class microvan that GM Korea produced at its Changwon plant from 1991 until late 2021 — a remarkable 30-year run. It began life as the Daewoo Damas, a licensed version of the eighth-generation Suzuki Carry/Every, and carried the Chevrolet badge in its final years after GM took over Daewoo's Korean operations. Despite its age, it remained one of Korea's best-selling light commercial vehicles right up to the end, prized by small businesses for its low cost and tiny footprint.

At just under 3.6 metres long, the Damas is built around a cab-over layout: the driver sits above the front axle, and the engine tucks under the front seats. This packaging is what makes a vehicle this short feel so spacious inside. It is available as a panel van for cargo, a windowed van, or a 7-seat coach that serves as a micro-minibus. The Chevrolet Labo pickup shares the same nose and platform but swaps the rear box for a flat drop-side cargo bed.

For export buyers, the appeal is simple: the Damas does the job of a small van or shared taxi at a fraction of the price of anything newer. As a discontinued model, it slots naturally into the used-export market that SH GLOBAL serves across the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia.

Chevrolet Damas Specs & Variants

Before you request a quote, it helps to know exactly which body and drivetrain you need. There are effectively three Damas bodies plus the Labo pickup, all sharing the same mechanicals. According to KAMA vehicle classification, all of them fall in Korea's light commercial (경형 화물/승합) segment, which carries favorable domestic tax treatment — one reason so many were sold.

Damas Van & Coach

• Damas Van (2-seat panel): A pure cargo hauler with a flat load floor and twin rear/side doors. The go-to for couriers and micro-delivery.
• Damas Van (5-seat): Two rows of seating plus rear cargo space — a flexible people-and-parcels combo.
• Damas Coach (7-seat): Three rows, the classic marshrutka / shared-taxi configuration that dominates Central Asian streets.

Chevrolet Labo Pickup

The Chevrolet Labo is the single-cab, two-seat pickup twin of the Damas. Its flat drop-side bed folds down on three sides for easy loading, and it handles a payload in the half-tonne class — impressive for such a small, economical vehicle. In markets where a full 1-tonne truck like a Porter or Bongo is overkill, the Labo is the right-sized tool. For heavier duty, compare it against the wider commercial range in our Korean commercial vehicle export data.

Engine, LPG & Drivetrain

Every Damas and Labo uses a 0.8-litre (796 cc) three-cylinder petrol engine producing roughly 38–51 hp across its generations, paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox driving the rear wheels. A large share of Korean-market units are factory LPG bi-fuel, which is a major selling point: autogas is far cheaper than petrol in most target markets, and the simple engine is easy for any local mechanic to maintain. Fuel economy is excellent — real-world figures commonly land near 13–15 km/L, keeping running costs minimal.

A Short History: From Daewoo to GM Korea

Understanding the Damas lineage helps you judge a used unit's value. Daewoo launched the Damas and Labo in 1991 as licensed builds of Suzuki's kei-class Carry/Every, aimed squarely at Korea's small-business economy. When General Motors absorbed Daewoo's Korean operations in the 2000s, the pair carried on under the GM Daewoo and then Chevrolet badges, all still assembled at the same Changwon line. Aside from safety-driven updates and a brief 2014 pause for regulatory reasons, the recipe barely changed for three decades — which is precisely why parts are plentiful and mechanics everywhere know the car.

The final Chevrolet-badged cars rolled off the line in late 2021, ending one of the longest single-model production runs in Korean automotive history. For an export buyer, that long, stable run is a feature, not a bug: it means a huge used pool, standardized parts, and predictable reliability. It also means the newest Damas you can buy today is a 2021 model — a key fact when you check destination age limits later in this guide.

Chevrolet Damas FOB Prices From Korea (2026)

The single biggest reason to consider a Chevrolet Damas export from Korea is price. Because these are older, discontinued, entry-class vehicles, FOB values are very low compared with almost any other export vehicle. The chart below shows typical FOB ranges by variant and age; final pricing depends on mileage, condition, and options.

To put that in context: a single 40-foot container can hold several Damas units because each is so compact, which spreads shipping cost across multiple vehicles and lowers the per-unit landed cost. That container-sharing math is why traders — not just individual buyers — favor the Damas. For a full breakdown of what to add on top of FOB, review the shipping and duty steps in our Central Asia market guide.

Damas vs Labo vs Alternatives

How does the Damas stack up against its own Labo twin and against slightly larger Korean options? The table below compares the core figures export buyers ask about most.

The takeaway: the Damas and Labo occupy a niche nothing else fills as cheaply. A Spark carries people in more comfort but hauls almost nothing; a Porter or Bongo hauls far more but costs three to five times as much and burns diesel. When your route is short, urban, and cost-sensitive, the microvan wins. Buyers who want to browse live stock can see Chevrolet models currently available.

Why the Damas Dominates in Central Asia & Africa

Nowhere is the Damas more at home than Central Asia. In Uzbekistan it became a national icon — for years locally assembled and used as everything from a shared taxi to a mobile shop. Demand is so entrenched that Korea-direct used units remain sought after where buyers want the GM Korea build or specifications the local market can't supply. Our best Korean cars for Uzbekistan guide explains how Korea-direct sourcing fills gaps the domestic supply leaves open.

The reasons are practical and stack up quickly:

• Right size for dense cities: Narrow lanes in Tashkent, Bishkek, or Almaty reward a sub-3.6-metre van that parks anywhere.
• Left-hand drive from the factory: The Korean Damas is LHD, matching Central Asia, the Middle East, and continental Africa with no conversion.
• Cheap to run: LPG bi-fuel plus a frugal 0.8L engine keeps daily costs low — critical for shared-taxi economics.
• Simple to fix: No turbos, no complex electronics — any roadside workshop can keep one running for years.
• Multi-role: Swap between passengers and cargo the same week; the Labo adds open-bed flexibility.

Kazakhstan follows the same pattern for last-mile delivery and small-trade fleets — see our Korean used cars Kazakhstan buyer's guide. In Africa, the Damas and Labo appear in West and East African cities as market-run vehicles and micro-couriers, where their fuel economy and low purchase price beat larger, thirstier alternatives. SH GLOBAL regularly consolidates these small vehicles for traders serving both regions.

How to Export a Chevrolet Damas From Korea

Exporting a Damas or Labo follows the same clear path as any Korean used vehicle. Because SH GLOBAL handles sourcing, inspection, de-registration, and shipping in-house, the buyer's job is mostly choosing the spec and confirming payment. Here is the five-step flow.

Payment is usually a reservation deposit to lock the unit, followed by the balance before shipping. SH GLOBAL prepares the export de-registration (말소등록), the export declaration filed with the Korea Customs Service, and the bill of lading. For landlocked Central Asia, we route via rail and road from Busan — typically 35 to 65 days to a named dry port such as Tashkent or Almaty. New to the process? Start with our step-by-step export to Central Asia walkthrough.

What to Check Before You Buy a Used Damas

Because most exportable Damas and Labo units are several years old, a careful pre-purchase inspection matters even more than on a newer car. The mechanicals are simple, so problems are cheap to fix — but they are still worth catching before shipping. SH GLOBAL includes a condition-and-mileage report with every quote, and these are the points our inspectors focus on:

• LPG system integrity: On bi-fuel units, confirm the tank certification date and check for leaks or corroded lines — the single most important item on an LPG Damas.
• Body rust: Inspect the load floor, door sills, and rear wheel arches. Cargo vans lead hard lives, so surface rust is common; structural rust is a walk-away.
• Mileage vs. condition: Cross-check the odometer against the Korean performance inspection record. A commercial vehicle at 150,000 km is normal, but the wear should match the reading.
• Clutch and gearbox: All are manual; test for slipping and clean shifts, as urban stop-start use wears clutches.
• Sliding doors and hinges: Doors on shared-taxi units cycle thousands of times — make sure they run smoothly and latch fully.
• Cooling and belts: The tiny three-cylinder is robust but hates overheating; confirm the radiator, fan, and belts are healthy.

None of these should scare you off — a Damas is one of the easiest vehicles in the world to maintain. The goal is simply to buy the best example in the price band, which is exactly what direct sourcing from Korean auctions lets SH GLOBAL do. If you are comparing several body styles or fuel types, ask for photos and reports on two or three units and pick the strongest.

Age Limits, Emissions & Import Notes

Because the Damas ceased production in 2021, most exportable units are older — so vehicle age limits at destination matter more than for a newer model. Many Central Asian and African markets impose no strict age cap, which is exactly why the Damas thrives there. Others (parts of the GCC and East Africa) enforce 5- to 8-year limits that can rule out older Damas units. Always confirm your country's rule before ordering.

• Age limit: Ideal for no-age-limit markets; check EAEU and African country-specific caps.
• Emissions: The small petrol/LPG engine is clean and simple, but EAEU members may require Euro-standard documentation at registration.
• Steering: Factory LHD — no conversion for left-hand-drive countries.
• Duties: Low FOB means low duty base in most tariff systems, though engine-size and flat per-vehicle fees still apply.

For the widest choice and the sharpest pricing on a Chevrolet Damas export from Korea, work with an exporter that sources directly from Korean auctions and dealers. As a Korean used car exporter with multilingual support and direct sourcing, SH GLOBAL Co., Ltd. specializes in exactly the small, high-value commercial vehicles that keep Central Asian and African businesses moving.