'Choice and Focus' Worked... Korea GM's Car Export Market Share Hits 20%

Automotive Mobility Industry Association Industry Trends
Korea GM Exports Up 80% Year-on-Year

Korea GM is on the verge of achieving a 20% share of South Korea's automobile exports. This is due to the strong overseas sales of compact sport utility vehicles (SUVs) developed primarily in Korea, especially in the United States.

According to statistics from the Korea Automobile Mobility Industry Association on the 27th, last month’s domestic automobile export volume was 225,391 units (including commercial vehicles). Of these, Korea GM accounted for 42,623 units, representing 18.9%. Considering that Korea GM’s share of total domestic automobile production is around 13%, it is showing a stronger presence in exports.

Chevrolet Trax Crossover by GM Korea being loaded for export to North America
[Photo by GM Korea]

From the beginning of this year through last month, South Korea’s automobile export volume reached 2,274,496 units, a 22.0% increase compared to the same period last year. During this time, Korea GM exported 337,114 units, an 82.3% increase from the previous year. In terms of growth rate, this far surpasses Hyundai Motor (16.5%) and Kia (18.5%). Korea GM’s export share from January to October this year stands at approximately 14.8%.

Considering that KG Mobility and Renault Korea’s exports last month fell by 50.7% and 71.2%, respectively, Korea GM’s strong performance is even more notable. These two companies’ export shares are only 1.2% and 1.9%, respectively.

Given that the three mid-sized automakers including Korea GM held only a 6.9% share in the domestic market last month, these export results are remarkable. In particular, Korea GM’s achievement is significant as it was accomplished with just two vehicle models: the Chevrolet Trailblazer and the Trax Crossover.

Chevrolet Trailblazer being loaded for shipment
[Photo by Korea GM]

Korea GM, along with the Trailblazer, which has been an ‘export hero,’ began producing the Trax Crossover at its Changwon plant from February this year, targeting overseas markets such as the United States. Last month, Hyundai Motor’s Kona ranked first with 21,127 units exported, but the Trax Crossover and Trailblazer also ranked 2nd and 4th respectively, exporting 20,590 and 16,806 units.

For the cumulative period from January to October this year, the Trailblazer ranked first with 176,123 units exported. The Trax Crossover also ranked 4th with 137,700 units. If this trend continues, the Trailblazer is highly likely to become the top model in annual export volume.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.