General Motors held a ceremony on the 8th at the Bupyeong plant to mark the commencement of production for the Buick Envista, a derivative model of the Chevrolet Trax crossover, aiming at the global market with a focus on North America.
Attendees at the production ceremony included Roberto Rempel, president of GM Korea, Brian McMurray, president of GM Korea Research and Development Corporation, and Kim Joon-ho, president of the National Metal Workers Union of GM Korea, who gathered to celebrate the successful production of the Buick Envista. Following the ceremony, the GM leadership, including President Rempel, toured the production process, emphasized the importance of flawless initial production of the new model and manufacturing quality, and met with on-site employees to acknowledge their hard work during the production preparation phase.
President Rempel expressed, “I am very proud of the Korean team that has built a successful production system that has led to the commencement of the Buick Envista production, following the explosive demand for Chevrolet Trax crossovers both domestically and globally. We will continue to produce high-quality vehicles for our customers, such as the Chevrolet Trailblazer and Trax crossover, and respond to global demand without delay through maximized productivity and strengthened quality competitiveness.”
President McMurray stated, “The Buick Envista is the result of the efforts of GM’s global engineering team who have worked together on design, engineering, and production technology to create a vehicle that meets the needs of global customers. I believe our employees have accomplished something great, and I am confident that GM will reprove its competitive edge in the global market by satisfying customers worldwide with the Buick Envista.”
With the commencement of production of the Buick Envista at the Bupyeong plant, GM is now more equipped to pursue its previously announced annual production target of 500,000 units. GM had earlier invested approximately 200 billion KRW in large-scale production facilities at the Bupyeong plant to ensure defect-free production quality of the Chevrolet Trax crossover derivative model. Through this investment, the Bupyeong plant has transformed into an innovative facility with top-level productivity and efficiency, securing a combined annual production capacity of up to 500,000 units alongside the Changwon plant.
Meanwhile, since the domestic launch of the Chevrolet Trax crossover, GM Korea has also seen an increase in domestic and overseas sales of the Trailblazer, with both models creating synergy effects, resulting in over 40,000 units sold in May alone, more than 2.5 times compared to the same month last year.
After its global market launch at the end of February, the Chevrolet Trax crossover, which has also launched domestically, is experiencing a surge in demand following an explosive initial response, with a total of 15,017 units being exported in May alone, demonstrating a continuous increase in overseas sales since its launch.
Moreover, the Trailblazer, produced alongside the Chevrolet Trax crossover at the Bupyeong plant, achieved the top ranking in domestic automotive exports for three consecutive months in April and surpassed cumulative exports of 500,000 units, maintaining steady popularity in the global market.
According to J.D. Power’s PIN (Power Information Network), the Trailblazer achieved the highest retail market share in the compact SUV segment in April in the U.S. market, proving sustained demand and presence in the competitive compact SUV market, together with its sibling model, the Buick Encore GX, which ranks fourth in market share.
Byeong Jin Lee daedusj@autodiary.kr