Armed with price competitiveness, powerful design and high-tech safety features, Chevrolet’s Impala, the iconic full-size sedan from General Motors, is quickly emerging as a dark horse in the Korean large family sedan market, whose growth has recently been slow due to lack of new models and the growing popularity of sports utility vehicles. 

“Preorders for our best-selling large sedan have exceeded 2,000 units since we started taking orders on July 31,” said Marc Comeau, vice president of GM Korea’s vehicle sales, service and marketing, at the test drive event for media, held in Namhae, South Gyeongsang Province.

The automaker is excited about the higher-than-expected number as it has long anticipated a success in the upper segment for further growth beyond the small car market since it debuted its mass market brand Chevrolet in Korea four years ago.

The success of Impala is important for GM Korea to achieve its goal of lifting its market share past 10 percent this year from 8.5 percent in 2014.

    Industry watchers said one reason behind sophisticated Korean consumers’ heightened interest in the Impala is GM’s aggressive pricing strategy.

The Impala, assembled in Hamtramck, Detroit, is categorized as a foreign car, but is cheaper than other American brands in the same segment, including the Chrysler 300 and Ford Taurus.

Its price tag is tempting even for buyers of local sedan brands. This is why GM Korea CEO and president Sergio Rocha said Impala’s direct rivals would be market dominant domestic sedan brands Hyundai Motor’s Grandeur and Kia Motors’ K7.

Besides its price competitiveness, the Impala shines in driving performance and state-of-the art technology for safety and entertainment.

Loaded with a 3.6-liter engine, which is also used in GM’s premium brand Cadillac vehicle, the Impala 3.6 V6 has smooth yet powerful acceleration. In terms of safety options, it offers 10 air bags and multiple other safety features as standard for its 360-degree protection. The car’s Bose premium surround sound system and Apple CarPlay enhance the joy of driving.

For GM Korea, the Impala’s launch demonstrates its pursuit of innovation to drive Chevrolet’s growth in Korea.

“The company has sought to ‘find new roads’ to make the best car,” Mark said, adding GM Korea has put an emphasis on being more dramatic, dynamic and emotional.

To showcase the Chevrolet brands in different segments, including the recently launched Next Spark and Impala, GM Korea said it would launch a mega-test drive campaign dubbed “Drive Chevrolet” next month.

By Seo Jee-yeon (jyseo@heraldcorp.com)