General Motors has pulled out all the stops with its GMC Hummer EV, an electric pickup truck with exceptional dimensions and exceptional capabilities (not to mention the price tag that comes with it), but the fact is that a lot more people are waiting for the Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV .
However, the manufacturer wants to take it easy and has decided to postpone the start of production of these two models at the Orion factory to the end of 2025. Why? No, this is not due to the ongoing autoworker strike in the United States.
According to a statement from a GM spokesperson sent to Automotive News, the main reason is the desire to “better manage investments by adapting to the ever-evolving demand for electric vehicles.” From this we understand that the American giant doubts the true intentions of consumers in the current market. At Ford, for example, sales of the F-150 Lightning fell 46% in the third quarter.
The same spokesperson added that “technical improvements” need to be made to increase the profitability of the products in question. Unfortunately there are no further details about this.
Photo: Germain Goyer
Recall that, in addition to the Hummer EV, GM is already assembling Silverado electric vehicles (the backlog of which exceeded 150,000 reservations in summer 2022) at its Factory Zero complex in Detroit. A new layer will be added in 2024, allowing the Sierra EV to join its brethren.
As for the Orion factory, where production of the Chevrolet Bolt EV and Bolt EUV will soon end, it was planned to be rebuilt with $4 billion to start producing the Silverado EV and Sierra EV by the end of 2024, as these vans will produce more profits. Now we know it will be a year later. In short: no vehicle will leave this place for two years.
About a thousand Orion employees could be transferred to other GM plants, including Factory Zero. You have the option to return once the work is completed.
The Silverado EV is currently available in two versions: WT (510 hp and 615 lb-ft) and RST (660 hp and 780 lb-ft). In the second case, the towing capacity increases to 10,000 pounds and the sprint from 0 to 97 km/h takes 4.5 seconds. Both can travel up to 640 km in just 10 minutes with a 350 kW fast station and cover around 160 km.