- general motors' 2019 sustainability report, just released, shares some additional details about 12 of the 20 upcoming evs promised by the automaker to go on sale by 2023.
- electric vehicles will be coming from buick, chevy, cadillac, and gmc.
- the automaker says it intends to sell a million evs by the middle of the decade in north america and china.
the electric chevy bolt will soon have a lot of company within the gm lineup. in its 2019 sustainability report, the automaker shared information about 12 new evs coming from the automaker. they include cars that have already been announced (among them, the gmc hummer and cadillac lyriq) and a few that don't have names or details, but that general motors is already working on bringing to market.
while some of these vehicles are on the immediate horizon for the united states, others might skip the u.s. altogether and head straight for other markets like china. either way, it's a bold plan that gm says is possible thanks to its modular ev platform and ultium battery system, part of its stated intention to sell a million evs a year in china and north america.
cadillac
the first—and the one we know the most about—is the cadillac lyriq suv. the first ev from gm’s luxury brand, the 2022 cadillac lyriq is expected to go on sale in the middle of 2021. while the internals are electric, the vehicle itself retains the traditional styling of a gasoline-powered suv, which should retain some appeal for traditional cadillac buyers who want a cleaner vehicle without futuristic styling. during a preview of the vehicle, it reminded us more of a high-riding wagon than an suv.
for those looking for something bigger (i.e., a three-row vehicle), the luxury brand is offering up a "globally sized" suv with an emphasis on interior space and cargo. you’d think this would be an escalade-inspired vehicle. but gm says it has that coming, too. cadillac says it will have a full-size third-row suv that's based on the dna of the escalade. the globally sized vehicle might be aiming for markets outside the united states while this one stays stateside.
for those looking for a smaller piece of cadillac luxury, an xt4-size crossover is also on the road map from the brand. it, too, is targeted at the global market, where small suvs are gaining traction.
for the truly luxurious, there's the flagship cadillac celestiq. the automaker says it will be an ultra-luxurious four-seater that's hand-assembled. only 1.2 vehicles will be built a day, so expect a six-figure price attached to it. the hatchback will sit on 23-inch wheels and features long and low proportions. inside, a single screen takes up the entire dash. when pressed during a preview of gm's electric vehicles as to why cadillac would make such an ev, gm president mark reuss responded, "do you think the cadillac brand is in good shape? it's not."
gmc
the gmc hummer's 2020 super bowl ad showed the world that the former symbol of petroleum excess would soon be an electron-powered truck to battle with the scores of other electric trucks headed to market. expected to go on sale in late 2021 as a 2022 model, the hummer ev sut boasts impressive specs of 1000 horsepower and a ridiculous claim of 11,500 lb-ft of torque. the large vehicle will likely be the recipient of a battery pack that stores 200.0 kwh of electricity.
it'll be joined by a hummer ev suv that we suspect will have the same specs as the truck and will be stylistically identical to the truck from the rear doors forward, although the truck will have a longer wheelbase to account for the five-foot bed. both vehicles we saw during a preview had removable front roof panels, a 15-inch infotainment screen, and a 12-inch digital instrument cluster.
chevrolet
the chevy brand already has the bolt ev on the road, giving it a head start over other gm brands in the united states. the bolt will be getting a 2021 facelift and a new interior. no word on if it'll get an additional range bump for the model year as in 2020, when it increased its range by 21 miles to 259 miles. but one car clearly is not enough.
a mid-size suv for the u.s. market is planned. this is a no-brainer. the united states loves its suvs, and making some of them electric increases the chances of that an electric vehicle will succeed. the vehicle is expected to go on sale by 2025 and is about the size of the chevy equinox.
with that in mind, the bolt is getting a euv variant with suv styling inspired by the chevy blazer. its wheelbase will be three inches longer than the regular bolt hatchback and will be the first non-cadillac to get gm's hands-free driver assistance system, super cruise. it’ll launch in the summer of 2021.
chevy is also getting its own electric truck. we’ve seen concept sketches of the vehicle that's set to compete directly with the electric ford f-150. it’s expected to go into production by 2025, which means it'll be on the market long after the hummer sut that should arrive in 2021. like the hummer, though, it could get a battery pack that holds an impressive 200.0 kwh of electricity. the chevy electric truck is expected to be more of a utilitarian vehicle than the hummer, which is targeting lifestyle buyers.
buick
finally, we have buick, the gm brand that has made great strides in the china market where ev adoption dwarfs that of the united states. the brand will be introducing two new electric vehicles, according to gm's report.
an electric buick suv that will offer “more conventional crossover proportions” is coming to market. at the same time, the gm brand will add an electric crossover with more expressive proportions and a “greater emphasis on form and athletic fashion.” so expect something with a bit more design flair wearing the buick badge.
gm also mentioned the cruise origin autonomous vehicle, but you can't buy or drive that. until there's a firm delivery date of when it'll be on the road, it is premature to think too much about its electric powertrain.