Up 9.4% from a year earlier

Trax Crossover exports top 18,000 units

Domestic sales fall 40% to just 731 units

Jan.–Aug. cumulative sales up 13% to 340,000 units

The Chevrolet Trax Crossover [GM Korea]
The Chevrolet Trax Crossover [GM Korea]

General Motors' Korean operations posted stronger year-on-year sales in August, as a surge in exports more than offset a sharp decline in domestic demand. Double-digit overseas growth for the Chevrolet Trax Crossover drove the overall result.

GM Korea said Tuesday it sold a total of 23,042 vehicles last month — 731 domestically and 22,311 overseas — up 9.4 percent from 21,059 units in the same month last year.

Overseas markets carried the overall performance. Exports reached 22,311 units, a 12.4 percent increase from a year earlier. Volume dipped from July due to summer holidays and facility maintenance work, but the year-on-year growth trend held.

The Trax Crossover was the backbone of export performance. Including derivative models, overseas sales of the Trax Crossover reached 18,223 units in August, up 16.1 percent from the same month last year.

The Trailblazer, by contrast, saw overseas sales slip 1.7 percent to 4,088 units — a 71.9 percent drop from July's 14,531 units.

The domestic picture stood in sharp contrast to exports. GM Korea's local sales in August totaled 731 units, down 39.4 percent from a year earlier.

By model, the Trax Crossover sold 629 units, down 36.7 percent year on year. The Trailblazer fell 52.4 percent to 88 units, and the GMC Sierra declined 46.2 percent to 14 units.

The divergence between exports and domestic sales is even more pronounced on a cumulative basis. GM Korea's total sales from January through August reached 340,684 units, up 12.6 percent from the same period last year.

Overseas sales over the same period rose 14.3 percent to 333,916 units. The Trax Crossover accounted for 217,095 units, up 10.3 percent, while the Trailblazer contributed 116,821 units, up 22.6 percent.

Cumulative domestic sales from January through August, however, fell 35.9 percent year on year to 6,768 units. The Trax Crossover dropped 35.2 percent to 5,419 units and the Trailblazer declined 36.6 percent to 1,170 units, underscoring a structure in which overseas sales continue to drive growth while the home market lags.

GM Korea is also investing in its production facilities to expand exports of the compact SUVs it manufactures in the country. In March, GM announced a plan to invest $600 million in its Korean operations to upgrade products and manufacturing equipment, with the aim of strengthening South Korea's role as a global production hub for compact SUVs, including the Trax Crossover and Trailblazer.

Separately from sales, GM Korea has been moving to strengthen its service network. The company operates about 380 service centers nationwide and is expanding the capabilities of roughly 130 of them to handle advanced repairs, including high-voltage electric vehicle work and battery servicing.


kwater@heraldcorp.com