‘Dudonban’ Grandpa GMC, Coming to Korea... Pickup Launching Within the Year

Korea GM Hosts Brand Day to Introduce GMC
High-End Pickup & SUV Specialist Brand Launches in Korea
420-Horsepower Sierra Denali Scheduled for Release Within the Year

The GMC Sierra Denali, unveiled for the first time at the Korea GM Brand Day on the 22nd

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] General Motors (GM)'s pickup and sport utility vehicle (SUV) specialized brand GMC has chosen the Sierra Denali as the first model to be introduced in Korea and unveiled it on the 22nd.

Korea GM held a GM Brand Day at Paradise City in Yeongjongdo, Incheon, officially announcing the introduction of GMC to the domestic market. It became GM's third brand operating sales and marketing in Korea, following Chevrolet and Cadillac. In the U.S., where demand for pickup trucks and SUVs is high, GMC is considered a significant brand in terms of sales volume.

Carlos Minert, Vice President of Sales, Service, and Marketing at Korea GM, said, "Through GMC, the portfolio of global brands and products under GM in Korea will expand further," adding, "We expect to meet the diverse lifestyle demands of customers."

GMC Sierra Denali

GMC is a brand that was established in 1902 and has reached its 120th anniversary this year. It has produced various commercial vehicles, and many military trucks made by GMC have also been imported into Korea. The Japanese pronunciation "Jemushee truck" is derived from this brand.

Before we developed the medium-sized transport truck used by the military, known as Dudonban or Yukgong truck, in the 1970s, the model imported in the 1950s was made by GMC. Although the full-size pickup truck category is still unfamiliar in Korea, the brand has a long history of connection with Korea.

In 1996, GM merged the GMC truck division with Pontiac's passenger car division to strengthen its SUV lineup, maintaining the brand identity to this day. Ford's F-Series, Ram pickups, and Chevrolet Silverado are considered the top three pickup models in North America by sales volume, with the GMC Sierra following closely behind.

The CCKW made by GMC as a military transport truck. South Korea began developing its own military medium-duty transport trucks in the late 1970s, and before that, imported trucks from foreign brands such as GMC were used.

GMC Sierra Denali

The Sierra Denali, scheduled for domestic release within the year, is the latest fifth-generation model sold locally. It shares a platform with large SUVs like Cadillac's Escalade and Chevrolet's Tahoe. It is equipped with a 6.2L large-displacement naturally aspirated V8 gasoline engine producing 420 horsepower (based on North American certification standards) paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission.

Despite being a high-priced imported pickup, it can be serviced at over 400 Korea GM domestic service network locations. Premium care services applied to imported Chevrolet models such as the Equinox, Colorado, and Traverse are also available. These include Express Service for convenient regular vehicle inspections and consumable replacements without prior reservation, and Pickup and Delivery Service, which allows customers to have their vehicles picked up and delivered at their preferred locations without visiting the service center.

General Motors' subsidiary brands Cadillac Escalade (from the left), GMC Sierra Denali, Chevrolet Tahoe High Country

Korea GM plans to strengthen marketing activities for existing Chevrolet and Cadillac brands alongside GMC. At the event, 15 representative models from each brand were sequentially showcased.

Roberto Rempel, President of Korea GM, stated, "We will achieve an annual production scale of 500,000 units with the Trailblazer and the next-generation global new CUV to be produced domestically from next year," adding, "We will fulfill the 2018 promise of business normalization through export expansion and a multi-brand strategy."

No Jeong-hwa, Executive Director of Marketing at Korea GM, said, "Chevrolet will continuously launch new products based on a two-track strategy that introduces GM's proven global models domestically and increases profitability through domestic sales of vehicles produced at Bupyeong and Changwon plants," adding, "At the same time, in line with GM's pre-electrification future strategy, we will expand the electric vehicle portfolio with various prices and purposes for domestic customers."

Seo Young-deuk, CEO of Cadillac Korea, said, "GM is securing global electric vehicle leadership with Cadillac's electric models Lyriq and Celestiq," adding, "We are carefully considering the launch of Cadillac electric vehicles for domestic customers who desire high-end electric cars."