GM also can't seem to get the hang of electric cars the way they would like. It is now officially abandoning its optimistic electric plans.
General Motors has now become a niche player in our region. Things used to be very different. In the '50s, Cadillacs were premium. And later there was Opel, the national car of the Netherlands, for decades. Real Chevrolets such as the Corvette and Blazer were also sometimes available through official channels, just like – yes – the Buick Park Avenue. Later the Americans tried it with Daevrolets. But after the sale of Opel to PSA, it came GM Europe formally to an end. Enthusiasts have to rely on gray imports.
In other parts of the world, however, GM is still a gigantor. Not least in its home country America, where it is of course also big in pickups and full-size SUVs. Cars that consume a lot of money, in general. It's a bit of a shame, of course, that Rob Jetten makes us pay through the nose for every gram of CO2, while 'Murica sells dozens of SIlverados per hour (literally).
It was therefore good news for EV believers that GM indicated in 2019 that it would all electric would go. This was enhanced with much fanfare – much to the chagrin of Elon Musk – by Sleepy Joe. After all, his father was a manager at Chevrolet dealers for many years.
But alas, the brand is now coming back from all the kumbaya vibes. Things are not going well with EVs at General Motors. And as we know, they are not alone in this. It all turns out to be difficult and expensive to make. The Bolt has now disappeared from the market and GM's new Ultium EV platform is not yet a ridiculous success. Production is not getting started and demand is not huge either. Several other major EVs (including the Silverado and GMC Sierra) that were in the pipeline have since been delayed.
GM's CEO Mary Barra also backs down. Plug-in hybrids are making an LL Cool Jesque comeback in GM's range in America. Of course, Barra adds that GM still wants to be very clean. Only, as the famous Cup a Soup commercial exclaimed, not now:
Our forward plans include bringing our plug-in hybrid technology to select vehicles in North America. Let me be clear, GM remains committed to eliminating tailpipe emissions from our light-duty vehicles by 2035. But in the interim, deploying plug-in technology in strategic segments will deliver some of the environmental benefits of EVs as the nation continues to build its charging infrastructure. We are timing the launches to help us comply with the more stringent fuel economy and tailpipe emission standards that are being proposed.
Mary Barra, always has 16 bars for the media
Whose deed. Is peak EV behind us again?
This article GM abandons electric plans, brings back plug-in hybrid first appeared on Autoblog.nl.
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