General Motors is pushing ahead with plans to become an electric automaker, but the road toward that goal hasn’t been the easiest so far. Cadillac and Buick dealers accepted buyouts in large numbers to avoid making investments to sell EVS, and now the automaker’s dealers are pushing it to develop more hybrids instead of releasing new electric models.
A GM advisory committee with several dealers is leading the messaging, saying that they believe the automaker risks losing customers with an overly aggressive electrification strategy. General Motors has several new electric models on the way soon, but it has so far overlooked hybrids in those efforts.
The company understands its dealers’ concerns but has not detailed plans to offer such products. GM offers hybrids in China, so the technology exists. That said, the automaker’s previous hybrids didn’t sell well in the U.S., but it has been several years since it last tried.
Hybrids could be a popular alternative to GM’s EVs, as the automaker hasn’t yet hit the affordable price targets it touted a while ago. The Chevy Bolt and Bolt EUV were solid, reasonably-priced options, but they’ve been discontinued with no firm date to revive them on GM’s newer platform. Toyota and other automakers have proven that the vehicles work and that people want to buy them, so it feels like a no-brainer for GM.
[Image: Chevrolet]
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