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GM Korea eyes top service quality with new center as rumors over fate swirl

Published: 19 Mar. 2025, 16:26 Updated: 19 Mar. 2025, 17:51

CHO YONG-JUN
[email protected]

GM Korea technicians inspect a Cadillac Escalade at the GM Korea Seoul Service Center in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul. [GM KOREA]

GM Korea underscored its commitment to ensuring after-sales services and customer satisfaction amid rumors that the U.S. carmaker could exit the Korean market.

“For the second year, the third, year, the fourth year, the fifth year and the 10th year and for whenever as long as the customers own their vehicle, our commitment has always been to make sure that we offer exceptional quality, safety, exceptional service experience for the life of the customers’ vehicles,” William Henrie, executive director of GM’s overseas business division, told reporters during Tuesday’s media tour of the GM Seoul Service Center in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul.

The eight-story building is the flagship service center for all Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac vehicles and even for models produced by the now-defunct GM Daewoo, operated directly by GM Korea. The building replaces the company's previous service center, which opened back in 1977.

The media tour of the service center was held more than six months after it opened in July 2024.

The GM Korea Seoul Service Center in Yeongdeungpo, western Seoul [GM KOREA]

“The timing of the tour may be misleading, but it should not be misunderstood — we opened the building in July but we needed time to test out all the new things we have implemented,” GM Korea’s chief public relations officer, Yoon Myong-ok, said.

“We are definitely not hosting this event now because GM Korea is the subject of speculation.”

While GM Korea was suspected of leaving the local market for many years — as the company neglected to develop and sell vehicles that would be competitive in the domestic market and incurred huge losses — it seems ever more plausible this time.

U.S. President Donald Trump has pledged to implement a 25 percent tariff on cars imported to the United States — a tough situation for all global carmakers and a possible final blow for GM Korea.

The automaker has been using its Bupyeong Plant in Incheon and Changwon Plant in North Gyeongsang — inherited from Daewoo — to mostly manufacture vehicles for the U.S. market: Out of the 499,559 cars sold by GM Korea in 2024, 95 percent were sold outside the country, with 418,782 vehicles shipped to the United States.

But GM Korea’s latest flagship service center, at least, shows that the automaker is currently dedicated to satisfying its existing customers.

GM's William Henrie speaks during a media tour held at GM Korea Seoul Service Center in Yeongdeungpo, western Seoul, on March 18 [GM KOREA]

“There are several things that we try to do to take care of the Korean customers specifically, and that is to make sure that we have our technicians well trained to be able to fix cars right the first time,” Henrie said, adding that GM Korea has a 95 percent success rate for first-time maintenance and repairs.

The automaker said it is also ready for EV maintenance, which included special training on high-voltage batteries for its workers and a sturdier lift that can hold up to 5.5 metric tons of weight.

“We’re constantly looking at how to make the work we do more efficient and therefore more affordable, but we are not trying to be the cheapest,” Henrie said. “We are trying to do the best quality, best service — the No. 1 in Korea.”

BY CHO YONG-JUN [[email protected]]