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Tesla Pickup Truck To Take On Chevrolet And GMC?

Chevrolet and GMC could have some inbound competition in the pickup truck market from none other than Tesla. Elon Musk revealed the latest plans for its brand’s portfolio via Twitter, which includes a Tesla semi-truck reveal later this year, and the aforementioned pickup coming in “18 to 24 months.”

Musk continues to lay out his ambitious goals to push Tesla production, which will ultimately begin with the $35,000 Model 3. The affordable sedan is expected to meet Tesla’s goal of producing 5,000 vehicles per week upon the Model 3’s production start this year.

The announcements come at a time when Tesla seems to be on top of the world, as far as investors are concerned. Tesla overtook General Motors and Ford as the most valuable U.S. car company, and the electric car maker may soon creep into Honda’s territory.

As for the pickup truck itself, we have no inclination as to what we should expect from Tesla. GM, Ford and Fiat-Chrysler have had the truck market on lock for decades, but Tesla could be poised to break into the segment with an all-electric utility vehicle. Whether that’s true remains to be seen.

Former GM Authority staff writer.

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Comments

  1. The weakness of Tesla is clearly on display here. Musk says it will be 18-24 months until we see this electric pickup. Do you know what GM and Ford can do in 18-24 months? The same thing they did when they heard about Tesla’s goal of a $35,000 compact. We got the Bolt in record timing and advanced engineering, and beat Tesla to the market. With GM testing the next generation of pickups, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them throw in an EREV or PHEV system, since they already have all the parts lying around from cars like Bolt and the CT6 PHEV. While these powertrains aren’t pure electric for say 250 miles like the Tesla would be, it can be argued that they are better because you could get pure electric for the typical daily drive (30 miles), and then switch to gas and not be bound by range anxiety. Additionally, unlike Tesla, GM can afford the slim to negative profits it would incur by selling an electrified powertrain because of the boat load of money they make on the traditional trucks and SUVs.

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    1. But the Bolt isn’t selling. After only a few months, dealers have to discount them heavily. meanwhile, Tesla have 375,000 pre-orders with deposits at full list. GM only has the capacity to produce 30,000 Bolts. Tesla is the leader in the entire industry creating a market that didn’t even exist.

      As for the rest of electric cars, Musk describes them as glorified golf carts. Which isn’t far from the truth.

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      1. GM brought the Bolt to the market far quicker than Tesla and its Model 3. Additionally, GM knows the Bolt would lose money and would likely see discounts, but that is irrelevant thanks to the profits from their dominance in SUVs and trucks. Tesla does not have this safety net. They have not and will not turn a profit in the foreseeable future. Additionally, all their products have seen continued delays, and have regularly missed sales and production goals. You can not call them an industry leader with that kind of track record. They also cannot be called an industry leader just for having 375,000 orders. A large percentage of those buyers will back off when they realize that the $35,000 base price will quickly inflate out of their price range with a few options added in. The $1,000 deposit is cheap and attractive. A $50,000 price tag will be a wake up call.

        I will give you credit in saying that they helped create the market, but now that they did the hard work of proving that there is a market, the big auto companies will flood it. VW, Mercedes, and GM in particular all have big plans for electric vehicles. They all have profits from other projects to float the losses. They have extensive research and engineering teams and large production capabilities. And, more importantly, they have more service centers and points of access to consumers. The only thing Tesla has going for it is the hip, first to market notoriety. That will wane as the market becomes more saturated.

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      2. That is solely because the bolt isn’t “cool” like the model 3. Now let’s start talking about the Opel ampera, same car, world where it’s cool. The Prius should have been off the market 5 years ago, but its name keeps the sluggish eye sore that performs less than a bolt or cruise for you money. It’s all in a name

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    2. Dito

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  2. David: I agree with you totally. I feel that Tesla is becoming a House of Cards that will suddenly collapse.

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    1. Like GM circa 2009?

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      1. So you, Eric, are predicting a Tesla Motors bankruptcy? But Prez Trump will not help Tesla Motors like Prez Bush did for GM.

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  3. It will be a cold day in hell when Tesla makes a pickup truck that outsells GM. I cant see a pure electric pickup truck that has over 250 miles of range in at least 5 years, let alone 18-24 months. Besides, who would even buy an all electric pickup truck, if most pickup owners don’t even like the idea of a V6, why would they buy an electric truck.

    IMO, Tesla is not even a real car company, the only thing they sell are computers on wheels.

    Reply
    1. Ford has proven that large truck owner have no problem with v6s as long as they are good. 65% of F-150 are Ecoboost V6s.

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    2. Henry, Tesla sells, and sell,,, and sells stocks.

      It’s the only reason for their bubble!

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  4. And dont lose sight of what was stated by Musk as in “semi pickup”. So…most likely we will be staring at a minature el camino looking vehicle. So that alone will not put it in the same playing field as the other manufactures trucks. And with the small demand for a “Ute” they will indeed sell. But in small numbers i would assume.

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  5. Elon Musk needs to demonstrate that their factory has the capacity to compete against Chevrolet and GMC as well as not sell at a lost as it had been reported that many of Tesla sedans were sold at a lost which means the selling 75,000 units could translate to a lost of $750 Million and this is the quickest way for any business to go bankrupt.

    Something else that buyers need to worry about is that Tesla sedans have experienced critical issues after 50-60,000 miles which is something else that could create issues for Tesla and buyers.

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  6. Pre-2009 GM used to be accused of ‘engineering by press release’. Nowadays, Tesla is doing ‘engineering by tweets’.

    I’m not being dismissive of Tesla, but I’ll believe that they have an EV freight tractor when I see it.

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    1. It wouldn’t surprise me if Musk hasn’t already started romancing Jerry Brown and Eric Garcetti into the idea of passing an EV freight tractor bill aimed at the ports of California.

      I remember a number of years back Los Angeles passed a bill requiring all freight tractors at the ports in Los Angeles be fuel efficient and low emission. All others were no longer allowed to do business there!

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  7. I have a Bolt. Decent car, plenty of range, came out of the box with zero defects. I have a reservation for a Model 3. My intention is to buy it and drive it. Since we have two drivers in the family that will make us all electric. I like the fact GM is at least fielding a decent car. I know they would likely not have done so without Tesla stirring the pot. Kudos to both companies for creating an alternative future.

    Reply

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