GM Korea to bring GMC products to the market this year

GM Korea introduced its latest Sierra Denali pick-up truck Wednesday, which will be the first model to be introduced in the Korean market under its premium GMC brand. The pick-up truck will be released in the second half, the company said..

GM Korea President and CEO Roberto Rempel introduces the Sierra Denali pick-up truck during an event held at Paradise City Hotel in Incheon on Wednesday. [GM KOREA]

GM Korea introduced its latest Sierra Denali pick-up truck Wednesday, which will be the first model to be introduced in the Korean market under its premium GMC brand.

The pick-up truck will be released in the second half, the company said, with the goal of starting deliveries within the year.

GM's decision to bring the GMC brand to Korean market is part of the Detroit carmaker's "multi-brand strategy, in which GM Korea has decided to provide Korean customers with other GM global vehicle choices," GM Korea President and CEO Roberto Rempel said during a Brand Day event held Wednesday in Paradise City Hotel in Incheon.

Established in 1902, GMC is GM's premium SUV and pickup truck brand.

GM sells vehicles under four brands, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC, globally. Chevrolet and Cadillac models are currently available in Korea.

The latest GMC Sierra Denali comes with a 6.2-liter gasoline engine and a 10-speed automatic transmission. It can generate a maximum of 420 horsepower.

"The multi-brand strategy means operating several GM brands, such as Chevrolet and Cadillac. With this strategy, we aim to cater to the high expectations of Korean consumers with different lifestyles and open up opportunities to bring them new experiences with their vehicles," said Carlos Meinert, GM Korea vice president of sales, service and marketing.

Details about the price and specs will be announced later, GM Korea said.

GM Korea CEO Roberto Rempel also said he will introduce 10 electric vehicles (EVs) in the Korean market by 2025.

"GM will sustain its triple zero strategy of zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion with a great EV portfolio, implementation of new technologies such as the Ultium and Ultifi platforms," said Rempel. "The Ultium is an innovative, electric vehicle-dedicated platform, designed to fulfill EV needs, being applied to multiple vehicle entries."

The Ultium is an EV battery system jointly developed by LG Energy Solution and GM.

Rempel also vowed to increase GM Korea's annual production capacity to 500,000 by the end of next year at its two plants, in Bupyeong, Incheon and Changwon in South Gyeongsang.

In recent years, GM Korea has been struggling with declining sales in the local market. It sold a total of 13,118 in Korea from January to May this year, down 52 percent on year.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]