Tesla set the tone several months back with its announcement that it is going to develop an electric pickup truck. Then independent firm Rivian seemingly came out of nowhere with its all-electric truck at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Ford followed with its own announcement that it was going down the same path. Rumours had General Motors working on its riposte, but that remained unconfirmed by official voices speaking for the automotive giant.
Until now.
This week, speaking during a conference call with investors, GM’s CEO Mary Barra confirmed the company was moving ahead with its plan. Recall that this announcement comes soon after Ford announced its partnership with Rivian. There had previously been negotiations between that independent company and GM, negotiations that ultimately proved fruitless as Rivian and Ford made their deal.
And that’s about it as far as what we know, for the moment. Mary Barra declined to provide further details about the future vehicle, nor on the timeline of when it might be ready. The EV is likely to be a creation in the mould of the Chevrolet Silverado or GMC Sierra, and it’s also likely it will take a few years before we see it at dealerships. Recall as well that General Motors is working to make Cadillac the company’s flagship brand in terms of electrification.
That luxury division also happens to be the one that generates the biggest profit margins for GM, which of course is a prerequisite for the development and profitability of electric-powered products.
The pickup trucks currently offered by the auto giant have all been recently renewed. What’s more, during the presentation of the Chevy Silverado at the end of 2018, the project’s head engineer, Tim Herrick, mentioned that the new platform as designed could accommodate other forms of powertrains.
There will certainly be more details coming in the next several weeks and months regarding this project. We can expect that if its competitors launch their products sooner rather than late,r GM will react swiftly.
Stay tuned.
