2019 GMC Sierra
General Motors has remained mum on its plans for making its pickups all-electric—until now.
It's something of a fait accompli, really, since GM's CEO Marry Barra has said the company plans to move to a 100 percent electric lineup, eventually.
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Now the head of the company's primary U.S. truck division, GMC, has given a hint about how electric trucks might come about at GM. In an interview with CNBC at a conference in Detroit last week following the Detroit auto show, vice president of the GMC brand, David Aldred, said GM's upscale U.S. truck brand is considering an all-electric truck.
Two days before the auto show, General Motors announced that Cadillac will become its primary brand for electric cars, indicating that it may develop more expensive electric models in an effort to better cover the costs of developing them.
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Introducing an electric pickup first at GMC would follow the same strategy, GMC has long sold pickups similar to those buyers can get from Chevrolet, but at a premium price. An electric pickup from GMC could include luxury features similar to the brand's Denali lineup.
Aldred did not reveal any timing for an electric GMC pickup or even give positive confirmation that the company will build it.
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Although none have yet reached the market, the competition is heating up among brands announcing new electric pickups, since U.S. startup automaker Rivian met with enthusiasm when it showed its concept electric pickup at the LA auto show. The Rivian R1T is scheduled to debut late next year.
At another industry conference following the Detroit auto show, Ford global vice president Jim Farley announced Ford will build an all-electric version of its bestselling F-Series pickup. Like Aldred, he did not provide any timing, even though other Ford executives, including chairman Bill Ford had suggested for months that the company was considering an electric truck.