logo
GM Korea's April sales fall 6.3% on weaker demand

GM Korea's April sales fall 6.3% on weaker demand

Korea Herald02-05-2025

GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of General Motors Co., said Friday its sales fell 6.3 percent in April from a year earlier on lower demand for its models.
The company sold 41,644 vehicles last month, down from 44,426 units in the same period last year, the company said in a press release.
Domestic sales plunged 42 percent on-year to 1,326 units last month from 2,297, while exports declined 4.3 percent to 40,318 from 42,129.
From January to April, total sales dropped 9.1 percent to 154,161 units from 169,638 a year earlier.
Domestic sales tumbled 41 percent to 5,434 units from 9,216, while exports were down 7.3 percent to 148,727 from 160,422.
As part of a two-track strategy, GM Korea sells both domestically assembled and imported vehicles in South Korea, Asia's fourth-largest economy.
Its current lineup is composed of two locally assembled models -- the Trailblazer SUV and the Trax Crossover -- and two imported models -- the Colorado pickup and the GMC Sierra Denali pickup. (Yonhap)

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Lee, Trump agree to meet soon, tee up golf for alliance: Seoul
Lee, Trump agree to meet soon, tee up golf for alliance: Seoul

Korea Herald

time6 hours ago

  • Korea Herald

Lee, Trump agree to meet soon, tee up golf for alliance: Seoul

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and US President Donald Trump agreed to meet as soon as possible — and play a round of golf — with Trump inviting Lee to visit the US, Seoul's presidential office said. The first phone call between Lee and Trump occurred around 10 p.m. Friday, two days after Lee was officially inaugurated as president on Wednesday, following his confirmed victory in Tuesday's early presidential election. The 20-minute phone conversation drew heightened attention in Seoul as the alliance faces a laundry list of pending issues on multiple fronts, from security to trade. 'The two presidents agreed to work toward reaching a tariff agreement between the US and South Korea that would be satisfactory to both countries,' said Kang Yu-jung, the presidential spokesperson, in a written statement. To that end, Lee and Trump agreed to 'encourage tangible results from the working-level negotiations.' Seoul and Washington have been engaged in working-level negotiations ahead of the expiration of a 90-day self-imposed moratorium on Trump's reciprocal tariffs, which are scheduled to take effect for each country on July 9. The deadline set by the Trump administration for all US trading partners to submit their best offers on a trade deal expired Wednesday. According to Lee's office, 'President Trump invited President Lee to visit the US, and President Lee responded that he hopes to meet and consult frequently with the US as part of their special alliance.' 'The two presidents agreed to meet at the earliest possible time — either on the sidelines of a multilateral meeting or on the occasion of a bilateral visit — to further discuss the development of the alliance," the statement added. Notably, the presidential office in Seoul disclosed that Lee and Trump 'introduced their respective golfing skills and agreed to play a round for the alliance whenever possible.' Trump and Lee could meet on the sidelines of two multilateral events in June. The first is the G7 Summit in Alberta, Canada, on June 16–17, 2025, if South Korea is invited as an observer state and decides to attend. The other opportunity is the upcoming NATO Summit in The Hague on June 24–25, which South Korea has been invited to as one of four Indo-Pacific partners alongside Australia, Japan and New Zealand. Lee's office highlighted that the call between Lee and Trump was conducted with a 'friendly and informal atmosphere.' 'The two presidents also shared various anecdotes and experiences from their presidential campaigns, particularly concerning the risks of assassination and the political challenges they faced,' the presidential office said. 'They agreed that strong leadership comes from overcoming such difficulties.' The Korea Herald has learned that South Korea's Foreign Ministry sought to arrange the first phone call between the two leaders on Lee's inauguration day. However, the call occurred later than his predecessors. President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol held his first phone call with then-US President Joe Biden about five hours after his election on March 10, 2022. Similarly, President Moon Jae-in spoke with his US counterpart on the day of his inauguration, May 10, 2017, despite the absence of a traditional transition period following the early presidential election. Then President-elect Park Geun-hye held a phone call with US President Barack Obama two days after her victory on December 19, 2012. The protracted phone call drew criticism in Seoul, mainly from the opposition People Power Party — especially after the White House issued an unusual response to the presidential election, expressing US concern and opposition to "Chinese interference and influence in democracies around the world."

Korean shipbuilders suffer 35% drop in orders through May: report
Korean shipbuilders suffer 35% drop in orders through May: report

Korea Herald

time14 hours ago

  • Korea Herald

Korean shipbuilders suffer 35% drop in orders through May: report

South Korean shipbuilders saw a 35 percent year-on-year drop in new orders from January to May, according to shipping industry tracker Clarkson Research Services on Thursday. During the five-month period, Korean shipbuilders secured a total of 3.81 million compensated gross tonnage, representing 24 percent of the global market — second to China, which led with 7.86 million CGT, or 49 percent. The decline is partly attributed to selective order-taking, as Korea's major shipbuilders — HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, Hanwha Ocean and Samsung Heavy Industries — have prioritized high-value-added vessels such as liquefied natural gas carriers rather than container ships. Their docks are currently occupied with orders scheduled for delivery over the next three years. However, the drop in orders is also reflects a sharp downturn in the global shipbuilding market. Total new global orders during the period fell 45 percent from a year earlier to 15.92 million CGT, raising concerns among some industry observers about the possibility of the current market cycle slowing in the coming years. Industry sources noted that many shipping companies are delaying new orders amid uncertainties in global trade and falling freight rates, driven in part by ongoing geopolitical tensions between the US and China. The Shanghai Containerized Freight Index, a widely used indicator of shipping rates, exceeded 3,000 in June last year but dropped to just over 1,200 in May this year. Although it has seen a sharp rise over the past three weeks, securities firms suggest this is a temporary increase driven by the US' short-term tariff deferral on Chinese goods. As a result, Korean shipbuilders saw a decrease in their backlog, with total outstanding orders falling by 8 percent, or 3.09 million CGT, compared to the same period last year. As of early June, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering — parent company of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and two other smaller shipbuilders — had only achieved 38.7 percent of its annual order target of $18 billion. Samsung Heavy Industries had reached 27 percent of its full-year sales goal of $9.8 billion.

Tesla tops monthly imported car sales for 1st time in Korea
Tesla tops monthly imported car sales for 1st time in Korea

Korea Herald

time19 hours ago

  • Korea Herald

Tesla tops monthly imported car sales for 1st time in Korea

Tesla has claimed the top spot in monthly imported car sales in the South Korean market for the first time. According to data from the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association on Friday, the US-based electric vehicle powerhouse sold 6,570 units in May, a 57.7 percent increase compared to the previous year. It outpaced Mercedes-Benz's 6,415 units and BMW's 6,405 units. The two German carmakers have traditionally dominated the top two positions in South Korea's imported car sector. Porsche and Lexus secured fourth and fifth places, selling 1,192 units and 1,134 units, followed by Volvo's 1,129 units in the same period. Tesla's stellar performance was driven by the strong demand for the newly launched Model Y. Released in April, this new flagship mid-size SUV sold 4,961 units, accounting for 94.9 percent of Tesla's sales. The Model Y Long Range, boasting approximately 500 kilometers driving range — 100 kilometers longer than the standard model — also sold 1,276 units. The EV maker's robust sales have partly boosted the overall domestic imported car market. Last month's imported car sales reached 28,189 units, marking a 16.4 percent increase from last year. The cumulative sales from January to May rose by 10 percent, totaling 100,352 units. 'The rise in new registrations of imported passenger cars in May can be attributed to a steady supply from certain brands and the impact of new model launches,' stated KAIDA Vice Chairman Jung Yoon-young. Although Jung did not specify Tesla as the key contributor, figures show Tesla's two Model Y variants were named as the first and third best-selling models, respectively. Industry insiders point to Tesla focusing its supply on Korea, which has likely led to a sales boost, amid global declines. From January to April, the company saw sales drops of 34.6 percent in Europe and 9.1 percent in North America.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store