Posted on 02/20/2024 8:38:43 PM PST by Red Badger
A full-size van replacement and a Ford Maverick competitor—both of them EVs—have been canceled.
* Sources tell us plug-in hybrid versions of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra are headed to market, in a hurry.
* General Motors had been fully committed to all-electric pickups, but problems towing and hauling heavy loads have made EV pickups less attractive to traditional truck buyers.
* GM’s change in plans creates uncertainty for Detroit’s Factory Zero, which has been retooled solely for production of battery-electric vehicles such as the GMC Hummer (pictured above).
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While zero-emissions enthusiasts wait for mass production of General Motors’ Ultium electric full-size pickup trucks, the company has begun a crash program to get plug-in hybrid versions of its Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra to market, sources say.
The program comes as Ford CEO Jim Farley touts F-150 and Maverick hybrids already in production.
GM also has canceled plans to replace the 53-year-old Chevy Express and GMC Savana with 2026 EV vans based off the BrightDrop electric delivery van, sources say.
It’s unclear whether GM will extend the life of the Express/Savana yet again. Their basic design goes back to the 1971 model year, with a redesign for 1997 and the last significant update for the 2003 model year.
GM also has canceled plans for a Ford Maverick-size EV pickup, and a Nissan EV pickup sized below the Frontier has been put on ice, according to one of our sources.
Ford sold 7672 E-Transit electric delivery vans in 2023, up 1672, or 18%, over 2022 sales.
But problems towing and hauling the sort of weight levels traditional truck buyers expect have made EV pickup trucks of limited value to such consumers.
How many GMC Sierra EVs can be reasonably expected this year? In the future, Ford will concentrate on smaller EV models, Farley said in Ford’s fourth-quarter/fiscal year 2023 earnings call with Wall Street analysts.
Ford’s key EV models for North America are very expensive to build, as the Lightning’s design starts with the ICE F-150 platform, and the Mach-e rides on a dedicated, single-model platform. Ford lost $4.7 billion on its all-electric Model e business unit in 2023, cutting in to its overall positive earnings before income tax of $10.4 billion.
According to one of our sources, Ford has placed EV versions of the Maverick and Bronco on-hold, until at least the early ‘30s.
The outlier among these stymied EV truck programs is, of course, the Tesla Cybertruck, which certainly has more appeal to Tesla evangelists than regular pickup truck buyers.
Although F-150 Lightning sales rose 54.7% last year to 24,165 units delivered, we will need to see this year’s sales before the EV truck proves to be more than a novelty for first-time Ford buyers.
EV pickup trucks that are not Teslas or Rivians could very well prove to be much like two-door coupes and sports cars that sell far better in their first model year than in their second, when everyone who wants one has one.
In other words, they suck and stink on ice.
In a hurry to kiss Joe Biden's butt. NOT in a hurry to meet market demand.
"...problems towing and hauling the sort of weight levels traditional truck buyers expect have made EV pickup trucks of limited value to such consumers."
Stupid consumers are not listening to Uncle Joe & Cronies about the future.
I see nothing here but paragraph after paragraph saying “We must kiss FJB’s ass and do it quickly,”
They be woke.
They be going broke..........................
Common sense ought to tell GM that they are powerless to stop people from buying what they really want. I hope they come to Trump for another bailout. Let them fly to DC in their finest biz jets because appearances won’t mean so much to Trump. Let a proper bankruptcy handle it.
The gubmint cheque cleared. Time to make some EV’s
where’s the diesel-electric vehicles? A diesel powered generator maintaining a battery pack?
Like a locomotive
the only hybrid electric scheme that would seem to make any engineering and economic sense
Motor Trend savages the F150 Lightning for towing a RV trailer
Plugin Hybrids do make some sense, but adding the EV motor output to the IC engine/transmission is complicated and expensive. There have been reports that the Chevy Volt II costs over $80K to build and they sold it for $35-42K.
And it had a continuously variable transmission, which limited the HP of the IC engine. Probably not suitable for a high-HP/torque truck.
If one is rich enough and stupid enough to want any kind of battery powered auto, the PHEV concept is the way to go. Something like the Toyota RAV4 PHEV is a good choice.
Unfortunately as soon as you purchase said vehicle you need to start saving for a new battery which will be needed within 5 years. And as you write that multi-thousand dollar check, think of all the third-world children that died digging the rare earth metals needed to produce that battery. Also unfortunately your auto insurance and maintenance costs are going to balloon. Add to that your trade-in value and/or resale value will drop faster than a comparable ICE vehicle.
But hey! you are saving the Erf.
Zero emissions EV is pathetically untrue. The damage done to the environment in manufacturing a single EV is worse than any fossil fueled car could do in a lifetime.
Does it come with a free diesel generator...?
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Too late.
No thanks...
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