SEOUL, KOREA - Unlike Ssangyong Motor's Korando Turismo and Hyundai Motor's Maxcruise which enjoy popularity, GM Korea's Chevy Trax is suffering a decline in sales. Korando Turismo, released in March, is a facelift model of Rodius, while Maxcruise is a lengthened version of Santa Fe. Trax is a small SUV based on an Aveo platform.
Major automakers are releasing a string of facelift models as part of efforts to reduce the time and cost needed to develop new models. Despite sluggish domestic demand, the sales of Korando Turismo and Maxcruise are growing steeply thanks to their effort to cater to consumer demand. The buyers of Korando Turismo or Maxcruise have to wait more than one month to take the delivery of the cars after ordering them.
Korando Turismo, which was sold 882 units in February when it was released, saw its sales rise to 1,043 in March and 1,117 in April. In contrast, Trax saw its sales fall to 812 units in April, down 35.7 percent from a month ago. The small cars with a 1.4-liter engine have the weakness of high prices (19.4 million to 22.89 million won) and the use of gasoline as the fuel.
