The Korea Herald

지나쌤

GM Korea seeks local production of Impala

By 서지연

Published : Oct. 12, 2015 - 19:10

    • Link copied

Models pose next to the Chevrolet’s Perfect Black Special Edition trim package, in an event in Seoul on Monday. Ahn Hoon/The Korea Herald Models pose next to the Chevrolet’s Perfect Black Special Edition trim package, in an event in Seoul on Monday. Ahn Hoon/The Korea Herald

GM Korea, the local unit of U.S. carmaker General Motors, may start producing Chevrolet’s popular flagship full-size sedan Impala at its Bupyeong plant, in Incheon, next year.

“The market response for Impala has been just amazing,” GM Korea CEO Sergio Rocha said during the launch event Monday for the limited black-color edition of four Chevrolet models, dubbed the Perfect Black Special Edition.

A total of 1,644 units of the Impala were sold in September, beating its Korean rival Aslan of Hyundai Motor, according to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association.

Impala became the second-best-selling large-scale sedan after Hyundai’s Grandeur in the domestic car market, just a month after its launch in August.

The CEO said the company could review the localization of the Impala at its Bupyeong plant in discussing with the GM global team if the Impala’s current sales momentum continues.

Buoyed by better-than-expected sales of the Impala following sales of the all-new Chevrolet Spark in July, the GM Korea chief was also confident in lifting its market share in Korea to 10 percent or more by the end of the year.

To achieve the long-desired growth target, the company is expected to drive sales and marketing events. The Perfect Black Special Edition is part of such efforts. The special edition trim package is designed to give Chevrolet Aveo, Cruze, Trax and Orlando a sportier, more stylish and dramatic outfit, the company said.

“With its all-black color, the Perfect Black Special Edition has an edgy, stylish and classy look that really catches the eye,” said Steve Kim, director of GM Korea Design. “It is destined to become another Chevrolet signature series that will give it a powerful identity as a ‘brand within the Chevrolet brand.”

By Seo Jee-yeon (jyseo@heraldcorp.com)