GM dealers are expressing enthusiasm and relief over the automaker’s decision to reintroduce plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) to the North American market. GM’s decision to launch new PHEVs in North America was announced earlier in the year as part of GM’s Q4 2023 earnings report, representing a shift in the company’s original strategy to leapfrog hybrids in favor of transitioning directly to all-electric powertrains. Although GM still aims to fully transition its light-duty fleet to zero-emission vehicles by the 2035 timeframe, the ramp up to that point will include PHEVs as a means of bridging the gap between internal combustion engines (ICE) and all-electric models.
Per a report from Wards Auto, a closed-door General Motors dealer franchise meeting held at the recent National Automobile Dealer Association trade show included a discussion of the decision to reintroduce PHEVs to North America. According to the report, dealer representatives characterized the meeting as “positive,” adding that General Motors seems to have the right strategy in reacting to a slower-than-expected market demand for pure electric vehicles.
The new strategy will include “a step or two” between the current ICE lineup and the all-electric lineup planned for launch by 2035. Several dealers also expressed concerns over the EPA’s proposal to require 60 percent of new vehicle sales to be EVs by 2030.
During the recent J.D. Power Automotive Summit, General Motors President Mark Reuss stated that dealers can expect to make money on EVs, with the transition to electric powertrains presenting an opportunity to turn a profit for retailers. Reuss also addressed the automaker’s shift back to PHEVs, characterizing them as “two powertrains on one car,” and adding that they are “expensive to make.” Nevertheless, Reuss said PHEVs serve as a means to meet ever-tightening government mandates to reduce emissions, as “regulators treat PHEVs the same as EVs.”
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Comments
Probably a good idea. Gas is a wonderfully energy dense fuel. I also question how the green grid is going to expand to the point of eliminating all the current fossil generation, replace all fossil fuel heating with heat pumps, and replace all gas/diesel for transportation. And I’m not even including normal expansion of energy consumption which is going to have a extra bump increase due to AI data centers. I saw one quote that said a single square meter of datacenter racks consumes a MW of energy. One square meter. Granted they stack the boxes floor to ceiling, but still, that is one heck of a load. I’ve also heard they are pushing to make steel production fossil free eliminating coking. 2035 is 11 years away. Picture where we were in 2013. That’s how long it is to 2035.
They are bad investments but if people are willing to buy them till they find out the trouble give them what they want.
Poor leadership at GM. Just floundering around with no winning strategy. Now how late to market with this latest decision?
Just pathetic. Definition of no leadership.
PS: if you’re wondering about no announcement regarding product, it’s because they don’t really have any idea what to do. These programs take years.
The lack of leadership is a matter of debate all the time, not only there and not only now. Every company has forecasters and analysts recommending the right steps to take. None of them really want to be a blind pioneer and develop a hit without testing the waters first. When they adopted the full EV policy, I’m sure they did because the market went green (no pun intended) to EVs, thanks to Tesla success in the eye of consumers, plus the benefit of tax credits on clean energy and that. Many car companies are taking the route too, even Toyota, though their success with the Prius and other PHEVs they offer held them from changing their strategy until it was needed. GM tried and have seen the results so they may take the wise decision of backtrack a bit and maybe, save their company. If they would’ve done the right thing in other choices… let’s rewind the clock 30 years ago, GM went almost full FWD and thought that diversifying the line up with added brands was the right move and they went bankrupt. They didn’t see what Honda, Mazda, Toyota and others saw, (focus on quality of fewer models instead of pleasing all the brands with new models). Only time will tell but perhaps this time they’re admitting mistakes before GM is dragged to the ground again.
Toyota also has had issues. It is no superior.
It’s not poor leadership to see that “EV’s for all” isn’t going to work right now and going a different direction. Pushing the “EV’s for all” program to the point where GM would go bankrupt instead of swallowing some pride and refocusing the company…..THAT would be bad leadership. But please, tell us how YOU would run the company?
So many armchair CEO’s…so little interest in hearing them pontificate.
Unless you’re buying rare Ferraris or other exotica, no car is a good investment. Ever owned one? The Volt was a great car, no trouble, very reliable, great fuel economy and good range for such a small battery pack. Glad to see PHEV’s coming back to GM. Bring it.
I had 3 Chevy Volts and they were trouble free and great vehicles.
Dealers are just ready for all of the insanity to stop!
I wish GM wasn’t so mysterious about what PHEVs they are going to offer and when.
i fear they have no idea, and made the announcement as more of a stock market appeasing move. my guess is Engineers are working furiously trying to figure out what is possible right now. Massive mistep by GM that hurts them now and for several years hence.
They make and sell several PHEV’s that could easily be added to the lineup. The 2025 Equinox is capable of having as it will be getting it in China, as is the Traverse, so it wouldn’t be difficult to add it to the assembly line for US market ones. I don’t think it hurts GM at all that they’re pivoting to market demand….isn’t that what we’ve all been wanting them to do? Now that they’re doing it we’re complaining? C’mon guys….
I have a ‘17 Volt and trust me I’m not complaining. I’d LOVE to see a gen III Volt no matter if it were a sedan or crossover.
General Motors P/R Department needs to be replaced been missing for 30 years.
Maybe they’ll reintroduce the Volt with a lot more range (200+ miles). That would be awesome!! Also, bring the PHEV Traverse to the U.S. that they currently have in China.
This day (Feb 15) 5 years ago, last Chevy Volt rolled of the assembly line and was dicontinued.
A fantastic car with 53 mile / 85 km electric range and also had 42 MPG / 16 km/l.
Great for a family of 4 at an affordable price of $34,000.
GM could have produced in higher volume and reduced the price. Instead they decided to kill
it and now talking again about PHEV.
Still nothing is lost and they can introduce Volt Gen-3 with LFP battery and multiple ranges like
40 MPG / 65 km/l and 60 MPG / 100 km/l. May be a slight increase in height making it a crossover.
Lot of PHEVs from China are going to hit the global market, there is no other go, but for GM to reintroduce.
I own a 2017 Volt and love it altho I will move on to full EV when range gets to about 400mi. Having said that, a hybrid like the Volt w perhaps 125-150 mi. range would probably cover 90% of the daily driving many of us do. GM has had a history of great ideas and simply not sticking w it or executing it well.
PHEVs from China are high risk at best, period.
Just do a search for “Chinese EV fires”, to view videos of the high volume of vehicle spontaneously combusting, while parked, being driven and while charging.
Various makes including BYD (Build Your Dream), even the most current models with the latest technologies are still catching fire with alarming frequency.
In comparison, EV fires in North America are virtually non-existent.
It is highly likely that Chinese vehicles will also not meet North American safety standards. Many virtually self-destruct upon fairly minimal impacts.
On the other hand, China is very capable of quality production, when building vehicles of global engineered designs, with spec materials and tooling.
To discount the Chinese automobile industry would be foolish, because while it is still very immature, rapid growth will occur and current EV battery and control issues will be resolved.
It’s just not ready for the real world at this time.
Another misdirection at GM. PHEVs have a cord and buyers will run away. HEVs, fine and a good idea. Watch this fiasco implode, again.
It’s great for GM if it helps them meet the communist CAFE standards since most buyers are rejecting EV’s. But they are expensive are too complicated and expensive to maintain. There’s a reason GM stopped selling them 15 years ago. ICE is still my preference.
I traded my Volt for a Bolt EUV because I live in a condo and my level 2 charging station was “upgraded ‘ to a level 3. Since one half of the U.S population lives where level 2 charging is unavailable, any PHEV doesn’t make sense GM seems to have lost it’s rudder
And yet toyota seems to be doing quite well with them. They have designs in China, so it seems pretty easy to bring them over to the US in less than a year.
https://www.drive.com.au/caradvice/are-hybrids-worth-the-extra-money-heres-the-truth/
People also spent how much on Pet Rocks in the 70’s.
Should GM sell them. Yes if they can make a buck on them. But the truth is they are not exactly all people make them out to be.
Read the thread I posted. Even Honda and Toyota are honest and admit that the savings is limited and that Hybrids are not the perfect solution.
If you drive in town a lot and if you want to save the planet they are fine but to save money for the average driver it is not happening.
Note too the insurance is even higher.
Since a PHEV has a smaller battery, you can charge it overnight from 0-100% on 110. That’s how I have been charging my Volt for a decade. A PHEV makes complete sense for people such as myself that drive only 30-40 miles a day, but still want the capability to drive long distances without worrying about having to find a charger. I average 200mpg after a decade with this set up
https://www.drive.com.au/caradvice/are-hybrids-worth-the-extra-money-heres-the-truth/
And now Tesla announces another price decrease. Might as well stick a fork in the new Blazer EV, Equinox EV, and Silverado EV with those inflated prices GM had introduced. I was so excited about the Blazer especially. Finally canceled my order last month. I couldn’t imagine how upset the current Blazer EV owners are, from the financial loss aspect and the software issues that have plagued that vehicle.
Yeah….but it’s a Tesla. Still not worth it.
Dealers make a lot of money on maintenance of ICE and hybrids. EV’s are largely maintenance free, so much less $ to dealers.
So – don’t expect dealers to push EVs. When customers show up on the lot, the dealers will steer them to non-EV vehicles. Keep that in mind when articles say that dealers say that EVs are not popular.
Buyers aren’t dumb either there are many reasons why EV’s aren’t selling well. It has to do with initial cost, inconvenience, and lack of charging facilities. Dealers rarely steer buyers away from what they really want.
If Mary Barra wasn’t so short sighted, she would had steered GM to this 15 years ago., boosted sales and reputation, and then started on EV vehicles. Need a successful example: Toyota.
My employer had hybrid Malibus in 2009 and they were in the shop a lot and got traded in.
What will ICE Camaro replacement be? All EV or PHEV? The EV Mustang is a nice vehicle but it’s not a Mustang. A PHEV can be an awesome power plant for a Camaro as a two door sports coupe, not a four door SUV.
PHEV, EV and ICE. I own all three. Jealous?
Lets start erecting barns and stables for horse as well whilst we are at it!!!
Certainly a lot of placating shareholders going on – but shortermism will not help in the long term.
EV’s are and will be the future, I would much prefer GM to go 110% in on EV’s and become the World leader it could be!!
Focus on smaller mass market vehicles and aim to sell huge volumes!
Take a significant test drive of an EV and you will likely want one.
Own an EV and you’ll likely love it.
The comfort, quiet, power and torque make EVs fun to drive.
The convenience of home charging is hard to beat.
The rapidly increasing number of stations is great.
GM EVs have nicer trim and more features including Super Cruise, rear camera mirrors and OnStar.
This is a great time to shop pre-owned EVs and new EVs. Enjoy some possible price discounts.
Also Turo has some temporary-to-rent EV vehicles if anyone wants to try living with one. Turo has PHEV and ICE as well.
I’ve driven them and hated it. I was on the fence till I was in them… So many reasons not to like. 1st is the absurdity of shoving controls onto a tablet that force you to take eyes off the road. Interiors feel cheap and minimalistic. There are MANY more reasons to not like them, starting from extra insurance cost to maintenance cost (tires, batteries, etc) to horrible infrastructure, to poor driving range. I could keep going on, you will have your perspective regardless and I will have mine. EV’s are something I actively avoid after being in them (3 diff models, all same issues).
hm, how many of us have checked to see how any vehicles are selling? last i checked there was just thats slow (mach-e) but they stopped production for several months last year, and of course Ford built a lot because of strike.
the rest of the vehicles on the top 10 slow sellers were all as vehicles
hm, how many of us have checked to see how any vehicles are selling? last i checked there was just thats slow (mach-e) but they stopped production for several months last year, and of course Ford built a lot because of strike.
the rest of the vehicles on the top 10 slow sellers were all as vehicles
Yes good for the dealerships and more to go wrong to charge for. My volt is sufficient but want a working defective software free EV…now GM! 300+ miles, under 30min charge rate to 80% at the worst.
Let’s take this conversation one step further and talk about future fuels and infrastructure. There are discussions about EV’s and their merits versus gasoline-powered vehicles (ICE & HEV). As an alternative, H2 is being proposed as a gasoline substitute for fuel cell and even ICE vehicles. Since nearly all H2 is produced from natural gas and not from “green” sources, i.e. wind and solar panels, H2 doesn’t really solve the carbon emission ‘problem’. Additionally, production of H2 whether from conversion of water via electrolyzer or by chemical reforming of natural gas (methane) introduces energy losses in terms of the quantity of energy of the H2 being delivered into the distribution network.
Since HEV’s, PHEV’s and Range-extended EV’s are finally being recognized as valuable contributors to both energy efficiency and carbon emission reduction, it’s appropriate to consider how to fuel these vehicles as a transition to an entire EV fleet continues to evolve over the coming decades.
Rather than converting Natural Gas to H2, wouldn’t it be better to fuel our vehicles with clean, lower carbon, easily processed natural gas? Now that HEV\PHEV \Extended-range EV technology has matured, Compressed or liquid natural gas (CNG\LNG) would be a great fuel for light, medium-duty and some heavy duty applications. Exhaust emission from natural gas is initially lower and therefore, the required exhaust emission reduction equipment is much less complicated.
Natural gas is plentiful, easily delivered into vehicles and is widely distributed making building infrastructure\fueling stations much simpler than creating H2 or EV refueling networks.
YES!!! FINALLY!!! GM has seen the light!
We are a GM famiy for many years! We are not going to all electric, ever! We will however entertain a Silverado,Tahoe, Or Suburban with a real Hybrid drive train! How about a diesel Hybrid? So many options here without the one size fits all EV
I’m sorry to see that many posters here are not using the fabulously imaginative and engaging new lower case gm
logo. What, it doesn’t it make you feel proud?