GM has shifted its strategy when it comes to electrification, announcing early this year that it plans to reintroduce plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) to the North American market. Previously, GM was poised to leapfrog hybrids entirely and jump straight to all-electric vehicles. Now, General Motors CEO Mary Barra has indicated when the first of these new North American PHEVs will arrive.
In an interview with The Detroit News, General Motors CEO Mary Barra confirmed that the first of these new North American GM PHEVs would arrive by 2027.
“We do see that hybrids will be part of the solution,” Barra said. “How long hybrids will be part of the solution depends on how quickly we get a robust charging infrastructure.”
The strategy shift was first announced in January with the release of GM’s Q4 2023 earnings report, during which Barra emphasized that while General Motors is steadfast in its commitment to fully electrify its light-duty vehicle lineup by 2035, PHEVs will offer a pragmatic interim solution, adding that “deploying plug-in technology in strategic segments will deliver some of the environmental benefits of EVs as the nation continues to build its charging infrastructure.”
The move to reintroduce PHEVs was made in response to increasingly stringent fuel economy standards and tailpipe emissions regulations. By incorporating PHEVs, General Motors aims to meet these standards more effectively while maintaining momentum towards zero tailpipe emissions.
Despite GM’s active rollout of new PHEV models in China, the automaker has no plans to import these models to the U.S. market. Instead, General Motors will leverage its existing PHEV technology developed for the Chinese market to create new models tailored for North American consumers, as GM Authority covered previously.
The decision not to import Chinese PHEVs was reinforced by General Motors President Mark Reuss, who recently stated, “We know how to do it, and we’re going to do a few [PHEV models]. I can’t tell you what yet, but they won’t be imported [from China].”
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Comments
Mistake. Seems like they could simply transfer an existing model or two from China to a US or Mexico assembly factory and get it here next year. The market has spoken and it wants hybrids sooner rather than later. They will “miss the boat”. 2027 is so far out that people wanting hybrids will look elsewhere and possibly become brand loyal to someone else.
And like I said a million times. Once customers go over to the Japanese (or Koreans), they never come back. I’ll never forget when Ford gave the Ranger a hiatus and my uncle who had Fords for years jumped ship over to Nissan with a Frontier (he didn’t want the F150 as alot of his wood flooring business is in Manhattan and a large full sized truck is impractical for him). That was it. He stayed with Nissan to this day and never went back. Brand loyalty and the idea that customers can jump ship to never come back should be something GM should put at the forefront of their decisions. But they never do.
Absolutely correct. I too have preached on this forever. GM has done this with multiple types of vehicles including the sedans, small hatch’s, a truly small (lower priced) basic truck and the PHEV’s. Will they never learn? And it’s not just the ones they lose (like your uncle). What about the lost referrals? I’m sure over the years your uncle has now helped Nissan sell multiple trucks and/or cars. The people who have gone to Toyota? Honda? Kia? How many more vehicles have they purchased from those same brands over the years and how many others have they gotten to buy “their” brand?
Completely right. The referrals are a big thing. My best friend from HS is due for a new car as his Impreza is giving him issues. The funny thing with him is he actually had a not so great experience with a Toyota and a Honda both having costly issues (one needing a full replacement of the infotainment screen and the other a transmission replacement). So he still sticks with these two brands but goes back and forth when he has a problem with one. I try to recommend him a GM product of late (my XT5 has proven reliable so far and this is with my other car being an older Rav4 which I love for its reliability but went with the Caddy because I wanted something more homely and less taxicab like), going so far to even tell him GMs latest vehicles have come along way since their bankrutcy and he won’t even give Chevrolet a chance. He had his one Cavalier back in 2000 and that was it. He is decided that these cars don’t last and that is all that matters. I even tried recommending the Koreans (which I also had an excellent ownership experience with) and even those he won’t give a chance. So unless the Toyota or Honda burns down completely he won’t even give another brand a try.
He said the won’t “import them from China.” That doesn’t rule out building essentially the same car here (or in Mexico). It might be the same car, but it won’t be “imported from China.”
Going backwards. I own a Volt and a fully electric car. The full electric is much better. In fact, the only thing I do not like about the Volt is the gas backup motor.
Why wait when GM already has the technology and American consumers want PHEV’s now? Ridiculous!
I see you don’t understand how auto manufacturing works. The typical timeline for developing a new car is FOUR years. The 2025 model designs are already complete, so getting new cars out for the 2027 model year is doing it in two years. That’s pretty quick for Detroit.
you are somewhat correct. Internally MY26 is already at 100% content, so MY27 vehicles will only be worked on for another 3-4 months before they are done.
Hybrid sedans …. Please gm grab that market share so us consumers can buy from you again. Not everyone want trucks
The PHEV Equinox is needed by fall 2025 the very latest. Its sales will be added to ICE Equinox tally with the Equinox EV in the EV category. 2027 is too long a time to wait, get the Nox PHEV to NA ASAP.
What was the Volt? it was Awesome, seriously. but now only used ones around. And PHEV, had one since 2017, just got a new one, parked next to my 2021 Corvette, best of both worlds. With a 2002 Suburban outside to do heavier
lifting. no complaints, but from my perspective PHEV is perfect for 99 percent of my driving
Convert the gen 2 Voltec to the Ultium platform. Two Ultium battery modules will give you close to 30 KWh of power, which for a PHEV is excellent and leaves space for a gas tank.
Cleary Mary’s all electric strategy was a failure. The GM board should kick her out with an emergency meeting. The Japanese or Germans would never accept this long term blunder which will again threaten GM viability. She should do the honorable thing….and resign. Get someone in there that will get PHEV s next year not 3 years from now.
GM Board of Directors FIRE MARY !
Meanwhile the 2nd of 4 Ultiim battery plants is ramping up and the Equinox EV is on sale now with Blazer EV, Silverado WT EV, and Silverado RST EV.
What the hell is this company doing? 2027? Thats insanely too long of a wait. Dealers in N/A were begging GM to give them hybrids. Why can’t they take the 2025 PHEV Equinox in China and just bring it here by the fall, the latest January. I hope they rethink this. Their importing Envisions from China why not a PHEV Equinox! So stupid! People want hybrids now GM, they don’t want EV’s. This company needs all new management!
We will sell no PHEV’s until you like our EV’s!
They may be trying to manage expectations and give themselves more time to convert factories, etc. They got caught before with overly optimistic time frames, and now they seem to want to ‘underpromise and over delivery”. If they get them here by 2026, folks will love them.
They are just over 25% battery capacity for Ultium. No EV’s before their batteries!
It’s beyond me why GM keeps asserting that hybrids and plug in hybrids are temporary solutions. They never recognized what a great solution the Volt was and actually sabotaged it’s success by not marketing it or offering dealers the tools to sell it.
GM under Barra has made plenty of stupid, costly decisions…. Usually they ditch a car well before its time and with nothing to replace it.
The VOLT was redesigned for the 2016 model year and for 4 years was a model of efficiency and performance in either electric or gas modes. It had a drastically reduced cost of production yet better in most ways, the only fault I could find with mine was that it was somewhat smaller than the original volt I had, and the perfect infotainment of my 2011 model in the new models universally sucks just like all GM products these days.
Will be interesting to see if they put a decent battery in the thing, as well as an efficient non-turbo engine.
Seeing her past lack of intelligent decision making, I’m quite sure she will drop the ball somehow.
GM lost 100k per Bolt sold in gen 1, and 20-30k in Gen2,,the Caddy version listed at 80k was clearance sale priced for 25k to get them off the lots. That is why GM killed the Volt
Because of dual propulsion cost and complexity. The gas to EV switch will curtail GM’s powertrain from 500 engine and transmission combinations to just 19….
Typical GM had everything they needed years ago but failed to market it and also decided the buying public didn’t know what they wanted but please go ahead and follow the EV crowd.
Time for Mary to go! General Motors is behind the curve. Too focused on ALL Electric is wrong. America doesn’t want them. Currently having problems with door hinges!
IF BYD enters the market, General Motors will become Private Motors! A Follower; not a Leader!
Unfortunately GM has been a follower for many years now.
They really need to wait for mid-cycle refreshes to do this when they have a PHEV Equinox in China now? Maybe this would this fall into the 100% tariff category and that’s the hang up? If they need some waiver from the Biden administration to get this done I’m sure that could be arranged.
The only plug in hybred GM has is the Corvette eRay. Not exactly everymans commuter car.
Guy, the E-Ray is a normal parallel hybrid, not a plug in. You cannot charge its battery externally. But it can run only on electric power for a few miles. And it fails as a commutet car since it is so low and a two seater. The Chevy Volt is a better hybrid commuter car for a lesser price and better range.
The Chevy Volt (and Cadillac ELR) was much more than a plug in hybrid electric. It was defined as a EREV (Extenfed Range Electric Vehicle) such that it can run 100% only on electric power and never consume gasoline. Some owners had to burn off the little gasoline it held once a year (it was programmed to do so) since they charged it and ran on electricity. Make it a medium sedan size, increasd the battery capacity, and it will be the best plug in hybrid electric. The Ford Fusion Energi was the best competition since it was a sedan but had a short 21 miles EV range.
All PHEV run in EV mode. The Voltec has a hold mode to save EV charge and run engine with a press of a button. My 2018 Cadillac CT6 2.0E plug-in works this way.
I feel like this is a good move due to the higher backlash against EV’s than what they ever thought would happen. It makes sense that they will use the PHEV’s to help the naysayers transition to EV. But only by 2027? This is a huge issue as they (GM) may have been the leader in PHEV’s at one point. I don’t think anyone can argue that the Volt was a fantastic vehicle and was years ahead of nearly anyone else. And don’t forget that they offered the Cadillac CT6 on PHEV as well. Too bad GM f-ed it up and killed those models to now fall well behind many others. But I welcome anything that gets us closer to the goal. I’d buy a Malibu (or Buick sedan or maybe even a Cadillac sedan) in a PHEV tomorrow and give up my Bolt EV as long as the range on them was at least 40 miles on EV only.
Anyhow, the article didn’t give us any indication as to what they will be offering in PHEV. But here’s a dead giveaway: “create new models tailored for North American consumers”. So in other words, this is GM’s way of saying they will be giving the US market yet more stupid SUV’s since that’s what they think we all want.
There are no details as EV investment and time lines for launches remain the same.
About 7 years late. There hasn’t been an F up this big since ’08. Thinking they cpukdnskio HEV and PHEV for this long should’ve seen a lot of execs walked, stock buy backs line pockets and save execs though
And they are still ahead of the Japanese EV’s.
Ahead of the Japanese perhaps, but both are way behind the Chinese manufacturers. And the North American manufacturers know it – hence the 100% tariff on Chinese EVs. I saw this in the 70’s with the oil shock – the Big 3 didn’t adapt to the changing market and the Japanese and Korean imports ate their lunch with small and fuel efficient options (and still are). I think it’s going to happen again with EVs. People will/do want low cost-of-ownership vehicles and current Chinese EVs provide that (the low carbon footprint is a co-benefit, but the $$$s is the reason to buy them). The “market reluctance” to EVs is is aided by the petroleum concerns that are fighting a rear-guard action to keep ICE alive as long as possible. The biggest EV/auto market in the world is China and their manufacturers will increase exports once domestic markets are satisfied. If GM only wants to serve the North American market, then they can keep building big ICE vehicles, but that’s increasingly not where the growth is. They have recognized this to some degree by partnering with Chinese firms and offering GM branded vehicles in EV mode in China, but why do they continue to treat North America like it’s a market bubble disconnected from global trends? They should seriously consider importing Chinese EVs from their subsidiaries before BYD (or any of the other numerous Cn manufacturers) enters the market and eats their lunch again.
Volvo already has Polestar sold here.
Let’s be honest. The Chinese automakers are state-backed. They’ve been given billions to develop EVs. There have been stories about the automakers just dumping cars they’ve built. Of course, they will export all they can at any cost because it’s a race to go out of business selling only in China.
I decided not to go hybrid. Just seemed like more complicated vehicle— engine plus motors.
Went straight to full electric with 2024 Cadillac Lyriq. In 5 months I’ve driven 8,500 miles including long distance road trips. I love it. I’m ready to go electric on my second car if I could get something sporty — maybe a Porsche 718 Boxster roadster which will be full electric this fall. Or, maybe the electric Dodge Charger.
Gar: Congrats on the Lyriq. Very nice car. I have my second Bolt EV and love it. However, I don’t take any long distance trips with it and I mostly charge at home at night. Although I can’t imagine ever going back to any gas powered vehicle, I would consider a PHEV with at least 40 miles of pure EV range if Chevy or Buick or Cadillac offered it in a SEDAN.
Anyhow, I’m sure you will get more down votes for no valid reason just because you went EV and now admit it’s been a great move. Too many on this site are just so anti-EV and I’m sure most have not truly experienced one. But just like me and you, once you go EV the most common thing you hear is that they will never go back to anything else.
I talk to people who say otherwise.
Tigger: I won’t disagree with that. But I will also guarantee that for every one of those you speak with, I can find you 4 more who would say exactly what Gar and I say. I know people who have gone back to ICE after driving EV, but they are certainly the minority.
I rented a Bolt recently on a trip and absolutely loved it. It makes ICE vehicles feel downright crude in the way they deliver power.
tntwit: Totally agree. I work at a dealership with Volvo and Mazda. After driving a Bolt for 1.5 years now, when I get in a brand new Mazda and drive to a delivery, it feels like it was produced in the 80’s.
That’s the longterm goal. The EV investment is still in motion.
I think many here have no idea how complex it is to set up supply chains, design factory changes to minimize downtime, get local suppliers for parts they have in China, assembly procedures, training materials, marketing materials, positioning the vehicles in their lineup, determine product mix, etc. These vehicles will be rolling down the assembly line in 2 years.
If GM has/had a choice they wouldn’t do PHEV because it’s a stopgap especially for small and midsize vehicles. If this was a large truck or SUV the story would be different. PHEV makes sense for larger vehicles.
Yes, GM is fanning the anti-EV flames. Watch what they, not what they say.
There are people here who have extensive vehicle development experience. PHEV’S make sense for any size of vehicle. The problem here is that GM had no alternative plans to pick from. I worked for 5 years in Japan for a major car company and had extensive interactions with the others such as Honda and Toyota. They do not bet the farm on a single approach but rather co-develop alternatives so that when the wind shifts, they can quickly steer the ship to match customer trends–that is one reason they always seem to get it right. Toyota may be a bit quicker than GM in actual vehicle development but not by much. They currently have hybrid vehicles in every class including plug in as well as conventional hybrids in the same models. GM could have done that with better planners and top executives. On the surface GM would not spend the investment nor development costs for alternatives, but loses many more times those costs with missing the market.
See Toyota’s billions in battery factory investments in the Carolina’s for a clue. They know they are behind in IRA 2.0 and have finally followed through. They have to do better than bz4x and Solterra if they do go all in.
GM has alternate plans because they have sold PHEVs in China for years. It does take time to setup shop in North America to build those vehicles.
I don’t understand. When Toyota or Honda announce a new model it takes them just a couple of months for it to hit dealers. When GM or Ford announces a new model, it takes atleast a year (and here 3 years). What gives? I doubt it has anything to do with too much red tape. That’s 3 years of lost market opportunity here. One of their mass volume models (Equinox) will have a PHEV version already. Why can’t that just be produced next to the ICE Equinox in Mexico? This is a classic example of when I say GMs marketing decisions sometimes leaves me baffled.
gm and it’s “leadership” subscribe to the Roger Smith school of management: either be behind everyone else by three years, or throw unproven crap against the wall hoping it sticks and when it fails, blame everyone else.
The question for me is, “can they take the CT4 and put a 30 mile range battery and 300HP+ worth of motors in it without making it weigh 3 tons?” If so, I might be ready to replace my ATS. I would really prefer a PHEV to a tesla model 3.
A good place to start with PHEV is with the Hummers and the Silverado/Sierra electric trucks to save them from being complete sales disasters.
That’s what the 2017-2018 CT6 2.0E plug-in was. My 2018 CT6 2.0E plug-in sees 40 miles of EV range and had seen up to 55 miles under light throttle and low speeds. Once the battery is used up it gets almost 40 mpg on 2.0T engine.
I have that exact model of Volt. Cajun Red 2018. And every time GM makes some announcement about PHEVs, all of us Volt owners just sit there and go, “Yeah. No kidding. This is a great car. I’d buy a new one if you’d make it.”
I have a 2014 Volt. If for some reason I needed a new car today, the Prius Prime would be my choice. GM has no offerings in this segment. Just like they did with the EV-1, the Holden-made GTO, G8 and Chevy SS, the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky, GM is half-assing it. It takes a long time to turn a ship that size, but 3 years? Bah.
You are better off with 2017-2019 Bolt EV with a new battery for 1/4 price of the Prime!
I’ve have a 2018 Volt LT and love it.
I also have a 2012 Chevy Caprice PPV (police car), which is based on the Holden Commodore/Statesman line. 6.0L aluminum V8. Now with a hotter cam and headers.
The Volt is for commuting and running on electrons. The Caprice is for burning dinosaurs and tires and making noise. I love them both.
And they were both killed by GM’s persistent and eternal shortsightedness.
What happened to their BEV plans, GM will not offer any BEV, PHEV, FHEV, MHEV, just the same old V6 & V8 while chinese are going to gain market share soon in Brazil & Mexico.
GM opens it third Ultium battery factory in Michigan this year. Please keep up!
This is a tale repeated too often…….GM late to market. They never seem to learn. They will lose more loyal customers.
Was the 2010 Volt too late?
gm canceled the EV1. Tesla and Musk were glad to get a huge headstart because gm could only field a Volt hybrid by 2010, which they also canceled. How is Mary’s promise to match Tesla by 2025 going? gm is a follower, at least for now a very profitable follower.
Well if Cox Automotive is correct, then GM will be late to the party as BEV’s will start to skyrocket in 2026/2027
Man PHEV’s are such a short sighted move by Legacy Automakers desperately trying to hold on because none of their CEO’s have the you know what to take it to Tesla and all the Chinese automakers.
But lets all listen to MSM that there is no more demand for EV’s which is bought and paid for by Big Oil HaHa
Also because of Legacy Auto not being able to compete within the BEV market, they now will try to push Hybrids and PHEV’s down our throat. What Legacy Auto and Europe/American Government is missing with these EV Tariffs is that when the Chinese market flips to majority BEV’s (which will happen within a couple of years) then so called Chinese automakers can and will flood Europe and America with their unwanted Hybrids and PHEV’s at a much lower price point.
We simply need to compete and dominate the BEV segment and not run away from it!!!
Legacys unwillingness to shift and move extremely quickly to the changing technology will be their demise unfortunately.
I feel like the automotive landscape by 2035/2040 will be unrecognizable to most.
Our BEV model of government subsidies to create artificial demand and tariffs to deter foreign competition will fail. Our domestic producers cannot long term be competitive straddling the ICE, PHEV and BEV markets. I don’t know how this all ends up except there will be very painful casualties. Fisker is the beginning of the list.
None of this addresses our lack of a robust grid and inadequate charging stations. We are all going to see higher electrical bills even if you don’t have a BEV or PHEV.
The PHEV is just short term. When BEV can do V2G peak demand from electricity companies will be a thing of the past.
BTW, 90% of us charge at home.
Not me. I own 3 bevs but I’m not going to wear down my batteries for free, and utilities won’t compensate me adequately.
Utilities do this themselves by providing their own facilities. They are not interested in this because the effort isn’t worth it.
Neither Ford nor GM has any V2Grid product ready to go anyway. They only have V2Home.
I hope if GM brings back PHEVs they dramatically increase the range. Seems like all new PHEVs have very low range which is useless. I have a 2018 Volt and love it. I would consider a new PHEV only if the range was significantly higher otherwise I will go with a full electric.
That’s the issue with PHEVs. If you add too large a battery, the ICE just sits there for most trips, and the larger pack size adds additional cost.
Most people who have PHEVs want to move to EVs and cut out the ICE middleman.
We also have a 2018 Volt and love the car. The EV range is enough to cover 90% of our needs. If it had 100 mile range that would be even better. And if the Gen 3 Volt was more of a wagon like the Buick Velite 6 sold in China, that would be awesome, especially if it sat 5 persons. As it is, we may be selling our Volt soon before GM degrades its value further. The lack of parts, dealer servicing, and general support has destroyed our confidence in GM. We will not be waiting until 2027 to sell, especially not for another GM car that they will leave in the lurch a few year later.
Our 2018 CT6 2.0E plug-in with 66,000 miles since new has only needed a traction battery coolant sensor. Then multiple trips to top off coolant. Well be keeping it until it stops moving forward.
GM screwed over Volt owners by dropping the line has left a bitter taste in many Volt owners. The lack of support and parts for cars that are only 4-5 yrs old is forcing them to look for alternatives. We love our Volt, but will not likely return to GM. They have destroyed our trust in the brand.