GM postpones start of production of two electric pickups again

General Motors had already rescheduled production of the two electric pickups from Orion Township in October 2023. At that time, the start of production (SOP) was pushed back by just over a year – to the end of 2025. Now, it will probably be another six months. As Bloomberg and the Detroit Free Press report, production will not start until mid-2026. That is particularly bitter for the plant’s employees. After discontinuing the Chevrolet Bolt, which was produced there until the end of 2023, the assembly lines will be idle for even longer.

GM CEO Mary Barra had already admitted recently that the company would not be able to achieve its goal of producing one million electric vehicles by the end of next year. The renewed delay of two important electric pickups will have made the project even more difficult. For both models, however, it is not about the market launch per se, but an expansion of production. GM makes the Chevrolet Silverado EV in Detroit-Hamtramck, together with the GMC Hummer EV, as a pickup and SUV. However, the unit numbers are lower than with parallel production in Orion Township.

However, the company announced it would increase EV production if buyers showed more interest in them. “We continue to make sure we continue to scale the business to customers and where they are at,” GM Chief Financial Officer Paul Jacobson said on a call with reporters.

The aforementioned Factory Zero in Detroit-Hamtramck is also where the Cruise Origin electric robotaxi was previously built. GM has apparently lost faith in this particular vehicle. After GM subsidiary Cruise’s operating licence for its self-driving cars in California was revoked in October 2023, production of the Origin in Detroit was halted anyway. It is now clear that it will not start up again and that the Origin will not be developed any further.

GM announced that the Cruise team will focus on the next-generation Chevrolet Bolt instead of the Origin for its next autonomous vehicle – but the Bolt will no longer come from Orion Township, but from Fairfax Assembly in Kansas. As a passenger car model, the Bolt will also have pedals and a steering wheel again – which was not the case with the Cruise Origin. “This addresses the regulatory uncertainty we faced with the Origin because of its unique design,” says Barra. “In addition, per-unit costs will be much lower, which will help Cruise optimize its resources.”

Update 09 August 2024

According to a report by GM Authority, the 2024 GMC Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 units are now arriving on dealership lots across the United States. Interestingly, the Denali Edition 1 model will be the only Sierra EV variant on offer during the inaugural 2024 model year, with the production of the succeeding 2025 model year only starting next month.

GM also plans to introduce several new models, including the entry-level electric pickup truck ‘Elevation’, the ‘AT4’, which is also an electric pickup, and new options for the ‘Denali,’ including new battery capacities.

bnnbloomberg.ca, freep.com (both Orion Township), insideevs.com, gm.com (both Cruise Origin), gmauthority.com (update)