2024 is shaping up to be a make-it-or-break-it year for any automaker in the EV game. GM is no exception. Its Ultium platform rollout still isn't going all that well. As a result, it's pivoting to a more diverse portfolio that includes hybrids. The Goliath is shifting some of its EV plans and supposedly canceling some of its more interesting products in the pipeline, too, according to a new report from Autoweek.
Autoweek reports that GM is low-key in crisis mode, rejiggering its full-size truck program to accommodate a PHEV model. It’s not clear what kind of PHEV this will be. It could be a small-battery setup with a small range and power boost for the GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado, or more of an extended-range EV model like the forthcoming Ram 1500 Ramcharger. Either way, this news comes after Ford CEO Jim Farley praised the F-150 and Maverick hybrids that are already on sale. By comparison, GM has struggled to get the Silverado EV to market, delaying it by nearly a year. Ford’s F-150 Lightning sales numbers, meanwhile, have been below expectations, forcing the company to admit that its EV future will likely be more reliant on smaller models.
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GM rumored to have canceled several EV projects
GM's EV rollout isn't going so smoothly. The slow sales and bumpy introduction of EV models, specifically EV trucks, may have the brand thinking about it's strategy here. A PHEV version of its full-sized trucks may appeal more to truck buyers who aren't convinced of a fully electric pickup.
GM’s reckoning with EV truck demand is certainly partially responsible for its shift in electrification strategy. Its once-forthcoming Ford Maverick-sized electric pickup is now likely canceled, per Autoweek, as are the EV replacements for the aged GMC Savanna and Chevrolet Express commercial vans. Those models would’ve used the BrightDrop delivery van chassis to ease development. A potential true compact or midsized EV pickup about the size of the Nissan Frontier is also reportedly dead.
Currently, these are rumblings unconfirmed by GM. Still, if they’re true, GM could be prematurely relinquishing the market to competitors like Toyota, a company that seems to be fairly positive on the outlook of its Maverick-sized EV pickup. We need more EV options, not fewer.
Hopefully, this news is just a rumor, and GM is still developing its smaller EV utility shapes. Yet, at the same time, perhaps it’s time for automakers to stop being so reliant on pickup trucks, no matter the propulsion type. The market for the pricey, complicated electric pickup behemoths like the Ford F-150 Lightning or Chevy Silverado EV isn’t as wide and lucrative as anyone thought. But reasonably priced EVs are very much a hot commodity no matter the body shape.
