General Motors Co has ambitious plans to build up to 500,000 vehicles a year, by 2017, that include some form of electric power in the engine.
According to global product development chief Mary Barra, as reported by Reuters, a central part of GM’s global strategy is making cars with electrical technology. “Our plans call for producing up to 500,000 vehicles annually with some form of electrification globally by 2017,” she said via satellite to reporters. This year alone, GM has sold more than 50,000 vehicles in the United States that include electrification technologies.
Barra reveals that the plug-in technology will remain central to GM’s strategy. “A major focus for GM’s electrification strategy will center on the plug,” she said. “We have every intention of maintaining our leadership position in plug-in vehicles.”
Reuters reports:
GM plans call for its eAssist system, which boosts fuel efficiency as much as 25 percent in some gasoline-powered vehicles, to be on “hundreds of thousands” of vehicles annually by 2017, she said.
Barra said the Spark EV minicar, which will take on Nissan Motor Co’s Leaf, will be a global vehicle, launching first in select markets in the United States and South Korea before moving to other countries. GM will sell the car, rather than limiting access to lease deals, she added.
If you think GM will no longer product traditional hybrid vehicles because they are focused on electric cars, then think again! Barra also discloses that GM is not going to stop focusing on traditional hybrid or hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.
