Made in Korea
The Chevrolet Trailblazer, produced by GM Korea, has topped the monthly sales in the U.S. small sports utility vehicle (SUV) market.
According to GM Korea and U.S. market research firm JD Power on May 17, the Trailblazer sold 11,130 units in the U.S. last month, a 176.3% increase from the same month last year. Its market share in the U.S. small SUV sector was 16%. Second place was Subaru's Crosstrek with 14.2%. Meanwhile, the Buick Encore GX sold 5,429 units, securing an 8.1% market share (4th place).
The Trailblazer and Buick Encore GX share the same platform and are regarded as “twin cars.” In domestic export statistics, both are combined and counted as the Trailblazer. GM Korea said, "If you combine the Trailblazer and Buick Encore GX, the market share in the U.S. small SUV market was 24.1%.” Both models are entirely produced domestically.
The Trailblazer, developed in Korea for GM’s global market strategy, started exporting in November 2019. Cumulative exports have since reached 518,583 units (including the Buick Encore GX). With its popularity in the U.S. market, the Trailblazer exported 22,694 units just last month, the highest among domestic automobiles for a single model. The total number of exports from the beginning of this year to last month was 81,892 units. The Hyundai Elantra (known as the Avante in Korea, with 69,549 units) and the Hyundai Kona (68,050 units) were the second- and third-most-exported models, respectively.
Meanwhile, the Trax Crossover, which began global sales in February, exported 13,646 units last month (4th place in April). Total exports three months after the start of exports recorded 34,114 units. A representative from GM Korea said, “We aim to produce 500,000 units annually in Korea, centering on the Chevrolet Trailblazer and Trax Crossover,” and added, “We expect to continue contributing to the Korean economy by maximizing the production of these two models and large-scale exports.”