November 24, 2024

• 

[THE INVESTOR] GM Korea is considering adding the gasoline turbo versions of the Equinox sport utility vehicle to its lineup, with a final decision set to be made later this year, the company’s vice president said on June 18.

In its broad self-rescue efforts, the Korean unit of General Motors plans to introduce 15 vehicles in the local market over the next five years.

Early this month, the company launched the 1.6-liter diesel-powered Chevrolet Equinox SUV and the Chevy Spark minicar.

It picked the Traverse SUV as the next model to be released in the country, without providing details of the launch date. 

To beef up its lineup with SUVs, GM Korea said it is considering introducing the Equinox models with a 1.5-liter and a 2.0-liter gasoline turbo engine as well. The company will make a final decision on whether to bring the U.S.-built gasoline models to Korea at the end of this year, GM Korea Vice President Dale Sullivan said in a media test-drive event for the Equinox. 

As for the question of the Equinox‘s prices of 30 million won (US$27,000) to 39 million won  appearing to be less competitive, the vice president said the company was focused on “trying to get the value and safety of that vehicle out to Korean customers.”

GM Korea plans to strengthen its lineup with more Chevy crossovers in order to make SUVs account for 60 percent of total sales in five years’ time from the current 14 percent.

By Song Seung-hyun and newswires (ssh@heraldcorp.com)