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| 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.
“We are taking the plan seriously, with sales of Impala exceeding 10,000 units in September,” 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.
At the launch event, the CEO guaranteed the local production of the Impala if the vehicle’s annual sales exceed 10,000 units.
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.”
Seo Jee-yeon (jyseo@heraldcorp.com)
