Flip Flopping

The Impala has drawn a favorable response from the Korean market since GM Korea introduced the sedan first to the local market in Sept. last year.
The Impala has drawn a favorable response from the Korean market since GM Korea introduced the sedan first to the local market in Sept. last year.

 

GM Korea announced on March 5 that it has decided not to produce Impala in Korea and instead, continue to import the popular sedan.

The decision came after a months-long debate over its possible local production with its labor union, which has claimed the local production of Impala to secure local production amount and employment stability. Consequently, the decision is expected to give rise to conflicts with the labor union. The Impala is currently produced at its Detroit plant in the US. ​

The company unveiled the decision via email press release, saying "After comprehensive and thorough reviews on the feasibility of the Impala localization, the company finally decided to continue to import the sedan as it has done,” which was also known to be delivered to the union.

The company explained that the decision was based on its belief that it would meet customers’ expectations on the premium value of the import sedan and respond to the government’s environment regulations.  

The Impala was introduced first to the Korean market in Sept. last year. Since then, it has drawn a favorable response from the local market. Even GM Korea earlier dropped a broad hint about pushing ahead with the local production of Impala if its sales exceed 10,000 units on an annual basis.

GM Korea reportedly sold nearly 7,000 units of Impala last year, with its monthly sales standing still at around 1,400 units. It means that its sales have already surpassed the promised 10,000-mark.

Copyright © BusinessKorea. Prohibited from unauthorized reproduction and redistribution