General Motors held a ceremony on the 19th to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its operations in Korea, revealing details of recent large-scale facility investments at the Changwon plant, as well as its strategic goals for a business transformation in Korea.
Through this event, GM commemorated its major accomplishments in Korea over the past 20 years and outlined its strategy to transition its Korean business into a profitable and sustainable business model based on the state-of-the-art production facility at the Changwon plant for the production of next-generation global models.
Roberto Rempel, the president, stated, “Over the past 20 years, we have produced approximately 26 million vehicles (12 million finished vehicles and over 14 million semi-knocked down parts), exported around 24 million vehicles (9.6 million finished vehicles and 14.4 million semi-knocked down parts) to 140 countries, sold 2.4 million Chevrolet and Cadillac vehicles in the domestic market, employed 12,000 employees, and contributed to the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs in the country.” He emphasized, “We will transform the Changwon plant into a world-class GM production base with an investment of 900 billion won in the Changwon plant and 200 billion won in the Bupyeong plant.”
Earlier in October, Shilpan Amin, GM’s Vice President of International Operations, who visited Korea, stated, “We celebrate the dedication and efforts of GM employees who produce competitive global models and supply them to the world market,” adding, “The success of the next-generation global vehicles is crucial for the sustainable growth of GM’s business in Korea.”
Amin also added, “GM made large-scale investments in the Changwon plant to consider the global demand for the next-generation global products, which will begin full-scale production and export next year.”
Along with the next-generation global vehicles to be produced at the GM Changwon plant, another pillar aimed at the global market is the Chevrolet Trailblazer produced at the Bupyeong plant. Since its launch in 2020, the Trailblazer has provided domestic consumers with the opportunity to experience GM’s global product competitiveness, with over 380,000 units exported worldwide to date.
The Trailblazer recorded the second-highest export amount in Korea last year, achieving the number one sales spot in the compact SUV market in 2021 in the U.S., the world’s largest automotive market, including its sibling model, the Buick Encore GX, and it has established itself as one of GM’s flagship SUV lineups.
Lastly, Rempel stated, “With a production capacity of 500,000 units per year, we will timely supply the Trailblazer and the next-generation global vehicles to the global market.”
Rempel also mentioned, “The next-generation global products are expected to achieve great success in the global market along with the Chevrolet Trailblazer,” adding, “To support Korea’s carbon neutrality goals, we plan to launch 10 electric vehicles across the GM brand by 2025, contributing to accelerating the electric vehicle transition in the domestic market.”
Finally, Shilpan Amin remarked, “The Korean team plays a significant role in GM’s global market strategy, participating in 20 global product development projects, including electric vehicles, alongside other global development teams to enhance customer experience based on technological expertise. In terms of production bases, the next-generation global products produced in Changwon will play a key role in GM’s global business success, and I am confident that the Korean team will deliver outstanding results for customers worldwide.”
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr