GM Korea's June sales dip 29 pct amid pandemic

SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of General Motors Co., said Wednesday its sales plunged 29 percent last month from a year earlier amid the new coronavirus pandemic.

GM Korea sold 25,983 vehicles in June, down from 36,451 units the previous year, the company said in a statement.

Domestic sales jumped 62 percent to 9,349 units last month from 5,788 a year ago, but exports dropped 46 percent to 16,634 from 30,663 during the same period, it said.

Robust sales of new models, such as the Trailblazer and Traverse SUVs, pushed up the monthly domestic sales.

From January to June, sales declined 28 percent to 166,038 autos from 231,172 in the year-ago period.

GM Korea launched the U.S.-made Equinox SUV and upgraded Chevrolet Spark minicar in 2018 and the midsized Colorado pickup truck and Traverse SUV last year. The models didn't help buoy sales in South Korea due to competition with local rivals and imported brands.

kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
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