General Motors considers electrifying pickup
Shortly after Ford announced a fully electric offshoot of its successful F-150 pickup model, US rival General Motors is also thinking out loud about electrifying off-road vehicles and pickup trucks from its GMC market.
A fully electric version could likely be offered for the Pickup Sierra, or also for the Chevrolet Silverado. The decision has not yet been made but looks like it may fall soon. General Motors CEO Mary Barra recently said to “stay tuned” when asked about a GM competitor for Tesla’s planned pickup truck.
Tesla has been feeding rumours about a pickup for over a year now. Several startups have also presented their development plans for electric pickups and prototypes – including Workhorse, Rivian, Atlis Motor Vehicles and Bollinger. General Motors rely on their pickup business and feel increasingly placed under pressure. Only last week, Ford also announced the intention of launching a purely electric offshoot of its F-150. However, the carmaker did not commit itself to a production date.
Now GM is also entering the game. So far, there has been talk of building sedans, crossovers, SUVs and even minivans on the new BEV3 platform, which is planned for 2021. But it wouldn’t come as a surprise if pickups were added to the lineup.
Earlier this month, General Motors confirmed plans to position Cadillac as the leading brand for the group’s future electric models. The first pictures of the forerunner electric Cadillac are already in circulation. The electric crossover is expected to be the first to use the new GM platform BEV3 from 2021.
In November, GM CEO Mary Barra also announced a comprehensive restructuring plan for General Motors to save six billion dollars annually by the end of 2020. The plan is to use the newly freed resources to invest in the development and production of electric cars and autonomous vehicles. Last March Barra said that GM is on a “path to an all-electric future.”
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