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GM's New EV Truck May Not Be Sold Under Chevy Or GMC Brand

5K views 27 replies 13 participants last post by  Neanderthal 
#1 ·
Automotive News
June 4, 2020


A new generation EV van is also coming from Ford. Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company

General Motors is developing an electric van aimed at business users, joining a growing list of carmakers planning EVs for the same segment which includes customers such as Amazon.com Inc. and United Parcel Service Inc., five people familiar with the plans told Reuters.

GM's plan to develop an electric van has not previously been reported. The automaker did not confirm the van, but has said it plans to introduce at least 20 new all-electric vehicles by 2023, in a variety of body styles including sedans, trucks and crossovers.

Suppliers familiar with such plans at GM and Ford told Reuters the Detroit automakers, which count trucks and commercial vehicles among their most profitable businesses, "don't want to leave the door open for Tesla" as they did in consumer passenger cars.

Scott Phillippi, UPS senior director of fleet maintenance and engineering, said the package delivery firm believes electric vans have the potential to disrupt the commercial market. "It's going to be similar to what the Model 3 has done for the consumer market," Phillippi said, referring to Tesla's small near-luxury electric sedan. "Now all of a sudden, we're off to the races."

The GM van – code-named BV1 – is due to start production in late 2021, the sources said. It is believed the BV1 van will share some components with GM's future electric pickups and SUVs, including the automaker's new Ultium advanced battery system. It is expected to be assembled alongside the electric trucks at GM's Detroit-Hamtramck plant.

GM is considering whether to offer the electric van through its traditional truck brands -- Chevrolet and GMC -- or market it under a different brand such as Maven, the sources said. GM's first electric pickup truck, due in late 2021, will be sold by GMC dealers under the Hummer brand.

In a statement, GM said it is "committed to an all-electric future and is implementing a multi-segment, scalable EV strategy to get there. At this time, we do not have any announcements to make regarding electric commercial vehicles."
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#2 ·
GM is considering whether to offer the electric van through its traditional truck brands -- Chevrolet and GMC -- or market it under a different brand such as Maven, the sources said.
This is an interesting statement to be sure. Looks like General Motors is a little worried about all of the new brand names coming to the marketplace. Their current user base however, has been buying the Express/Savana for about 684 years (it seems like), and may be inclined to try something new in the form of a new EV van...from an all-new supplier. New all-electric pickup - interesting that it will not be a Chevy or GMC either (to start - Hummer gets the call).

Storied retailer Radio Shack made some pretty good computers and cell phones years ago. Inexpensive and dependable...but then some new companies entered the market, and by checking the phone in your pocket, you know how that turned out.

GM may go the same route market name wise, and it might not be a bad idea.















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#3 ·
This is an interesting statement to be sure. Looks like General Motors is a little worried about all of the new brand names coming to the marketplace. Their current user base however, has been buying the Express/Savana for about 684 years (it seems like), and may be inclined to try something new in the form of a new EV van...from an all-new supplier. New all-electric pickup - interesting that it will not be a Chevy or GMC either (to start - Hummer gets the call).

Storied retailer Radio Shack made some pretty good computers and cell phones years ago. Inexpensive and dependable...but then some new companies entered the market, and by checking the phone in your pocket, you know how that turned out.

GM may go the same route market name wise, and it might not be a bad idea.

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I see what you are saying, but it wasn't the name that killed the brand, it's (almost) always about the product(s).




Hang-on, OK gotta-go, my BlackBerry is ringing...............................
 
#6 ·
Lemme see here. GM spent the better part of a century accumulating and inventing brands. Then leadership decided badge engineering was more profitable. How did that work out? Seems it led to billions upon billions spent divesting themselves of unprofitable divisions. Oldsmobile, Saturn, Pontiac, Hummer, Saab, Holden, Opel, and whatever else they gave up on overseas.

At least they learned their lesson. Or did they? Rather than relying on stalwarts Chevrolet and GMC, GM seems to be up to it's old tricks regarding pickup, SUV and utility vehicles. Take a defunct Hummer brand and magically reinvent it. Then expand it and hey, maybe give it stand alone dealerships! That should work.

Personally, I think Hyundai/Kia have the right idea. Start with subpar economy cars at great prices and don't deflect from your ultimate goal of becoming equal competitors to pretty much anyone in the world. Not many people ridicule them anymore. Why is that?

I do have a question for GM though. Is a Nova a Cavalier, a Cobalt, a Cruze, or nothing at all?
 
#8 ·
I do have a question for GM though. Is a Nova a Cavalier, a Cobalt, a Cruze, or nothing at all?
Back when GM had a 50% plus American market share, naming vehicles got a little out of hand. Someone thought it would be fun to extend the Chevy NOVA name to the other operating divisions via the "X" platform...

N = Chevy Nova
O = Oldsmobile Omega
V = Pontiac Ventura
A = Buick Apollo










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#9 · (Edited)
That is really interesting. Ford's Transit BEV is largely an EV retrofit of the van we have today, it's not a purpose-built EV truck platform. It's actually using the same motors and batteries from the Mach E. It's not related to the F-150 BEV at all which is a more ambitious EV retrofit (revised frame and IRS, bigger motors and batteries).

Ultimately Ford is integrating EVs into their existing ICE trucks, GM seems to have a different approach. Making their EVs virtually invisible would be the most Ford thing to do, but it's also a compromise. Not really that excited by what Ford is doing on the Truck end, but hopefully the results are better than the paperwork. Obviously Ford will sell way more Transits altogether, especially on a global scale.
 
#13 ·
This is a commercial delivery van to compete with Transit EV, correct? Seems to me that the Chevy brand would be fine for that. I'm pretty sure the Transit EV will be called a Ford.

I doubt the Hummer pickup is for fleet sales--at least not the 1000hp version--so a new/revived brand makes more sense IMO.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Yeah but you're not too smart by half, unlike GM Mismanagement. Obviously you're not sophisticated enough :rolleyes: to sense the subtle undercurrents of the market, which clearly demands a new, funny name.

GM, let me suggest Alset. It has a nice ring to it. You could also try Nole or Ksum. Or Rehc.
 
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#26 ·
IMHO the commercial VAN market is as far "un-tesla" as things with wheels can get
a LOT of commercial sales happen in a "bid / proposal" type of transaction and the vehicle MAY NOT BE seen at all beyond "glossies"
and name recognition is important and how cost effective it is doing its job
and a "FORD TRANSIT" will have better recognition then "workhorse WH1"

IMHO the truck/van SHOULD be Chevrolet ( I would have used GMC but GM has different ideas for GMC) with the "premium" - consumer being Hummer

also the Tesla was the FIRST "as good as it can be" EV car NOT the "CHEAPEST" EV car we can build
an endless stream of Volts and Bolts would NEVER turn GM into Tesla as they are "good enough" NOT "more than you wanted" like the model 3 is
 
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