GM CEO Akerson: “We’re Going To Introduce Battery-Only Vehicles…”

In a recent interview with USA Today, General Motors CEO Dan Akerson said that the company will make electric-only vehicles, following up months of speculation about what non-gasoline vehicle may follow the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car.

“We’re going to introduce battery-only vehicles…CNG vehicles. Stay tuned. This is not the old GM,” said Akerson. Earlier in the same conversation, the CEO announced that a diesel-powered Chevy Cruze will make its way to North America in the future.

The GM Authority Take

It’s no secret that General Motors has taken a hard stance on automotive electrification with the Volt, which offers a gasoline engine-generator to extend its total driving range. Meanwhile, pure electric competitors such as Nissan’s Leaf and Ford’s forthcoming Focus Electric have been making headlines as being less expensive and easier to understand for the average consumer. In fact, the Leaf, which offers a pure (and total) electric range of roughly 100 miles compared to the Volt’s approximate 350-mile (mixed EV and gas) total range, has consistently outsold the Volt so far this year. This, however, may be representative of constrained supply on the part of the Volt rather than stifled market demand.

As such, it might be strategically sound for The General to offer pure electric powertrains in several vehicles, including the Cruze, in the near future. To that, we must note that GM already has a fleet of Cruze EVs running around in Korea — which may be a sign of things to come.

At the end of the day, offering several choices of electrified vehicles — such as EREVs, pure EVs, and mild hybrids — may turn out to be key in establishing an early dominance in what has thus far been an emerging segment.

Source: USA Today