[ad_1]
General Motors will start selling its GMC brand in more global markets later this year with the launch of the Yukon full-size SUV.
GM said Friday that it will launch GMC sales in China later this year, followed by Australia and New Zealand in 2025. GM launched GMC in South Korea last year with the GMC Sierra LD pickup. GMC has long-established operations in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Middle East.
“GMC is in the most exciting era in its history as we expect to grow competitively in our home market while venturing into new ones,” Duncan Aldred, global vice president of Buick and GMC, said in a statement. “We’re forging our future as a premium truck and SUV brand and our success shows our customers around the world are just as excited as we are for the road ahead.”
The move comes after GM said in 2020 it was exiting Australia, New Zealand and Thailand to save costs in the underperforming markets and hone its focus on growth markets as well as on its electric vehicle and self-driving car strategies.
Last year was GMC’s best overall sales year since 2017. Its U.S. sales rose 9% and that included a 6.5% gain in retail sales driven by the Sierra pickup, which saw sales rise 22% to 295,737 for the year. The GMC Hummer EV has helped generate excitement around the brand, although it is a low-volume seller, trickling out of Factory Zero in Detroit and Hamtramck where it’s assembled. Last year, GMC sold 3,244 Hummers, up from the 854 it delivered in 2022.
GM said expanding to these other markets will bolster its overall sales, although GM struggled in China last year as customers opted for domestic brands.
Contact Jamie L. LaReau: jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. Read more on General Motors and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.
[ad_2]
Source link