SEOUL, South Korea - General Motors Corp. is considering launching its Chevrolet brand in South Korea in an attempt to capture a larger share of the country's growing market for imported cars, a company executive said Friday.

The U.S. automaker will make a decision after completing a study by the end of this year, said James Raymond, executive director of GM Asia-Pacific vehicle sales.

General Motors currently sells Cadillac and Saab sedans in Korea, while offering Chevrolet-badged Korean-made small cars in North America; the Chevrolet Aveo is made by Daewoo, in which GM holds a controlling stake.

South Korea has become more important to GM because imported vehicles are claiming a bigger share of the market, said Raymond.

Imports accounted for 6.2 per cent of the passenger car market in April, up from 4.9 per cent a year ago, according to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association.

In the January-April period, imported car sales jumped 32 per cent from a year ago to 21,811 units.

GM hopes to more than double its South Korean sales this year, Raymond said. It sold about 600 Cadillacs and Saabs last year.

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