What is GM's Future in Large Trucks?

IMAGE: GEMINI

The latest buzz about the future of GM’s electric trucks – and the imminent launch of the T1-2 next-generation Sierra and Silverado ICE models – raises some questions about where GM is going in this lucrative product segment.

Let’s start with the electric side of the equation. When the Silverado EV (off the new BT1 platform) was launched, the Ford F-150 Lightning was already on the market. While the Chevy, on a dedicated EV skateboard platform, was arguably a better EV (with 800V charging and a significantly longer range), the F-150 was arguably a better truck. It could carry about 50% more payload and had a shape and HMI familiar to many full-size truck owners. By the time it was (ironically) canceled last year, it was the bestselling electric truck in America; in the very EV-friendly third quarter of last year, Ford sold about 10,000 Lightnings, about 37% more than combined Silverado and Sierra EV sales.

In that same quarter, GM sold a combined 14,824 Sierra, Silverado, Escalade, and Hummer EVs; annualized, that would mean Detroit’s Factory Zero would have been operating at 22% of rated capacity on a good day. Naturally, when Ford cancelled the Lightning, several analysts wondered when the other shoe was going to drop for GM, given the sales figures. But nothing happened until the recent news story (propagated across multiple outlets) suggesting the next-generation trucks had been canceled.

GM’s response was carefully worded: “GM has not canceled any electric trucks. EVs remain the end game for GM, and we are firmly committed to our award-winning electric truck and SUV portfolio, along with our advanced technology road map. There is no impact on production and availability of the current battery electric trucks.” True, nothing that’s currently on sale has indeed ceased production. And it’s also entirely possible that the next-generation trucks have simply been delayed, not canceled.

On the internal combustion side of the fence, we should be seeing the next-generation Silverado and Sierra 1500 shortly, and we already know a few things. The architecture will be updated but largely carryover, the design will be evolutionary, and there’s a new V8 under the hood (previewed in the recently revealed Corvette Grand Sport). Although there hasn’t been much buzz about new features, SuperCruise will likely improve, and smartphone mirroring (a/k/a CarPlay and Android Auto capability) will likely disappear.

You may be asking yourself where the hybrids are; you’re not alone. In 2024, CEO Mary Barra said GM would launch a plug-in hybrid in North America in 2027 (despite previous statements from GM President Mark Reuss, which made clear his aversion to hybrid technology). But at her fireside chat this past January, Barra indicated GM was still evaluating hybrids and debating whether or not they needed to be plugged in. That’s not the statement of a company with a strategy; that’s the statement of a company still trying to figure out what to do.

What about the other players?

• Ford’s next F-150 is due by 2029, and will include an EREV variant to replace the current Lightning EV. They’ve already got a very competent hybrid in the market, and they decided three years ago to boost the hybrid share of total F-150 sales from 10% to about 20%. It’s expected to use a new electrical architecture to enable by-wire technologies.

• Ram’s electric truck is dead, but the REV name will live on in an EREV expected to launch sometime this year. The Hemi is back (offered alongside the newer and more efficient but less impressive-sounding Hurricane L6), and both the Hemi and Pentastar V6 have mild hybrid capability. A next-generation Ram is expected before the end of the decade – and will be long overdue, given that the current truck is eight years old.

• Toyota is still playing in this segment with a more limited portfolio, offering a single gasoline engine and a single hybrid option. There had been rumors of both electric and fuel-cell-powered Tundras, but those projects appear to have fallen by the wayside. A next-generation Tundra is likely around the end of the decade—or later.

All of these data points raise questions about where GM is going with its full-size truck strategy:

• Will there be a next-generation BT1? Or will GM mimic Ford’s move and turn Factory Zero into an internal combustion vehicle plant?

• Are there EREVs in GM’s future at all? Both Ford and Ram are going down this road as a way to offer zero-emissions driving without losing truck capability. Still, GM hasn’t said a word about this technology (despite having popularized it on the original Chevy Volt). GM could theoretically follow the model of several Chinese automakers, who have fitted gasoline range extenders to their EVs. That would boost BT1 volume and help justify the existence of Factory Zero.

• What’s going on with hybrids? By the end of this year, GM will be the only automaker in this segment without a strong electrified ICE powertrain. Ford sold 85,000 F-150 hybrids last year, a 15% boost from 2024.

With the losses associated with EVs and churn within the product plan, the role of full-size trucks as revenue generators is becoming increasingly important to General Motors. Let’s see if the T1-2 launch sheds any light on where the company is headed.

#generalmotors #gm #truck #pickup #silverado #sierra #chevrolet #gmc #hybrid #ev #electrictruck #ford #toyota #ram #automotive #autoperspectives