GM Korea, GM’s subsidiary in Korea, has started pilot production of an all-new Chevrolet crossover at its plant in Changwon, the southeastern coastal city of South Korea, as it hopes to emerge from a sequence of deficits thanks to a strong comeback with the improved production capacity.

The automaker renovated the Changwon complex at a cost of 1 trillion won ($79.9 million).

A crossover or crossover utility vehicle (CUV) is a type of four-wheeled sport utility vehicle based on a platform shared with a passenger car, instead of a platform shared with a pickup truck. It has better energy efficiency.

GM headquarters awarded the all-new crossover model to its Korean operation in 2018 for sustainable growth and profitability. Changwon shipments will sell at home and abroad, including the United States

Changwon’s lines that were dedicated to compact sedans were expanded to be equipped with world-class press, body and general assembly shops to meet the largest orders.

“The Changwon plant assembled the small Chevy Spark. After the renovation, it has the ability to produce mid-size vehicles, such as the crossover. In particular, an assembly line is designed to produce six different types,” said said a researcher from GM’s Production Technology Research Institute.

Its new body and assembly shop can produce up to 60 units of the crossover per hour with doubled productivity, compared to Chevy Spark’s previous 32 units per hour. The Changwon complex is also equipped with advanced technologies, such as error detection functions and carbon fiber T-beams to reduce vibration when transporting heavy car panels.

GM Korea has been in deficit since 2014. Its operating loss was 376 billion won, with a cumulative deficit of 3.7 trillion won over the past eight years.

By Won Ho-sup and Jenny Lee

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