General Motors (GM) has responded very professionally to our last article and we have new found respect for their management style. Unlike some other established car brands that choose keyboard warriors and ‘media on their payroll’ to ‘fight’ their editorial battles, GM has responded with facts and figures to counter our very recent opinion article about their issues in ASEAN. Read the below reply from them.
“You are, of course, entitled to editorial opinion and license and we take no issue with you taking a dim view of Chevrolet and GM. This is your prerogative.
However, we do take issue with factual inaccuracies such as the headline in your first article. Again, your second story contains several factual inaccuracies. Points to note:
- GM has not pulled out of Indonesia. We continue to operate our wholly-owned GM Indonesia subsidiary there and sell four key model lines: Colorado, Trailblazer, Trax and Spark. Yes, we are small player in Indonesia with very modest volume but your statement “pulled out of Indonesia” is wholly incorrect.
- Chevrolet sales in Southeast Asia over the past three years are not in decline, we’ve posted continued growth. In 2017 compared to 2016, General Motors posted positive sales momentum, growing overall sales volume by 14.8 percent. In Indonesia, sales grew by 34.5 percent, in Thailand by 25.7 percent and in Vietnam sales by 5 percent, with 2017 representing the best Chevrolet sales performance ever in Vietnam.
- So far in 2018, to provide further facts, Chevrolet sales in Thailand are up by nearly 10 percent, with growth from both Colorado and Trailblazer. And in Vietnam, the Colorado and Trailblazer were the top-selling vehicles in their segments for the first three quarters of 2018.
Yes, Chevrolet is a modest player from a volume and share perspective in Southeast Asia. That is not in dispute. The numbers and facts when measured against our competitors are clear.
But the numbers and facts also cannot be disputed in relation to your two articles: both contain factual errors.
Your editorializing of our future position in Malaysia aside, all we ask is that you, as a member of the media, use correct and researched facts to back up your articles. I look forward to prompt action on your behalf to ensure the editorial integrity of your site.”
The www.dsf.my editorial team apologizes and thanks GM ASEAN PR department for their quick professional response and we wish them all their best with their new Malaysian partner and their expansion in ASEAN in the coming months.
