GM plans hybrids for U.S. lineup as demand grows, executive says
General Motors plans to add hybrids to its U.S. lineup, a senior executive says, as hybrid sales rise and EV demand cools. The automaker has not given timing for its first new hybrid model.
Mike Anderson, GM's vice president of propulsion engineering, reconfirmed the automaker's hybrid plans in an interview with CNBC but declined to discuss timing for such vehicles, which had previously been expected as soon as next year.
"It's fair to say that [hybrids are] part of the plan," Anderson, a 35-year GM veteran, told CNBC. "We're not tone deaf to our customers. We know what they want and we want to give that to them as quickly as we can."
GM has largely been absent from the hybrid market this decade, instead using its resources to go "all-in" on all-electric vehicles. But amid lackluster EV demand, industry deregulation and increased hybrid popularity, Anderson said the company needs to meet customer demand wherever it may be.
"Our long-term vision is an all-electric future. That's our goal," Anderson said. "That's the end state, but it's going to be a journey that involves technology diversity."
GM CEO Mary Barra in January said the automaker was still studying plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, or PHEVs, for its U.S. lineup as well as traditional hybrids but remained critical of the technologies. She also told Bloomberg later that month that a "handful" of such models were coming but did not give a timeline.
In mid-2024, GM announced plans to introduce PHEVs by 2027. At that time, GM was under pressure to meet stricter federal tailpipe emissions standards that have since been lowered or eliminated by the Trump administration.
AutoForecast Solutions expects GM to begin offering PHEVs in late 2027 to early 2028 with a 70-mile EV range "throughout its portfolio," according to Casey Selecman, director of powertrain forecasts for the company.
"GM has several PHEVs planned throughout the portfolio from the Equinox to the Silverado but has been very cautious in rolling them out due to fears of customer technology preference changes that have burned them in the past," Selecman said.
Anderson declined to discuss potential products or timing for GM's first new hybrid model. "You can see, without me saying what our future plans are, where the customers are clamoring for these things and really, really going for them," he said. "We want to meet them where they want things."
Hybrid sales in the U.S. have jumped amid dimming EV demand, inflated gas prices and more offerings in the market, which GM has been missing out on. Cox Automotive reports hybrid vehicle sales from the second quarter of this year increased 23% from a year earlier to represent a record 16.3% of U.S. sales from April through June. That compares with roughly 5.8% of sales for EVs, Cox said.
The automotive industry now has more powertrain and propulsion options than ever before. Those include internal combustion engine vehicles, mild-hybrid electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, battery-electric vehicles, fuel cell electric vehicles and extended-range electric vehicles. Hybrids generally combine a traditional gas-powered engine with electric motors and a battery to offer better fuel economy and, in many cases, better performance.