GM Korea CEO James Kim has set Chevrolet’s domestic market annual sales target at 194,000 units, the highest-ever local sales goal for the global brand, according to GM on Thursday.

Last year the company sold 180,275 units, a 13.8 percent increase compared to the previous year. The results marked the first time the brand broke the 180,000-marker since it first entered Korea’s imported car market in 2011.  

Reeling off the company’s best-ever domestic performance last year, Kim and Dale Sullivan, vice president of vehicle sales, services and marketing, hosted the 2017 Chevrolet National Agency Workshop in Incheon on Wednesday, where the pair revealed their initiatives of snagging double-digit shares of the domestic car market this year.

“Chevrolet has a solid brand reputation and excellent competitiveness, and for the first time in six years, it has become an icon of innovation in Korea,” said Kim in a press release. 

“This year we are launching new and competitive products including the All New Cruze and the Bolt EV,” he continued. “And through aggressive marketing, excellent customer service offers such as the Chevrolet Complete Care, we will set new milestones by surpassing last year’s achievements and attaining double-digit shares in the domestic market.”

Last year GM Korea’s market share accounted for 9.9 percent of all vehicles sold in Korea, including domestic brands, making it the country’s third-largest automaker behind local giants Hyundai and Kia.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)