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General Motors reportedly considering small electric pickup

General Motors is considering adding a small entry-level model to its range of electric pickups, according to a recent report. The carmaker is currently showing a prototype to a select group of customers to gather feedback about the model before executives decide its fate. Industry trade journal Automotive News claims that it saw the pickup during a workshop organized by General Motors and describes it as being "smaller than the Ford Maverick and the Hyundai Santa Cruz." For context, the Maverick stretches about 200 inches long, 73 inches wide, and 69 inches tall, so it's around 12 inches shorter, 11 inches narrower, and 10 inches lower than the recently-unveiled Chevrolet Colorado. It sounds like this little GM truck would be closer in size to the Brazilian-market Chevy Montana, pictured at top. But unlike the Montana, the model that Automotive News got a look at had two doors, a "low roofline," a four- to four-and-a-half-foot cargo box, and a design described as futuristic and sporty. If launched, the yet-unnamed pickup would be marketed as an "affordable" EV with a base price pegged under $30,000. However, that's a big if: the pickup — whose name hasn't been announced — hasn't been approved for production. "We're creating these to get a reaction and then to try to modify it or move on," Michael Pevovar, the director affordable EV and crossover design for Chevrolet, told the publication. "The input may come back that it's just too small, and that's okay," he added. If it turns out to be too small for buyers, General Motors hasn't ruled out building its entry-level electric pickup on a different architecture to make it a little bigger. It's too early to tell where the electric pickup would slot in the General Motors portfolio if executives approve it. Chevrolet immediately comes to mind, especially considering the sub-$30,000 price point. The model would make more sense with a bowtie on its front end than with a Cadillac emblem, GMC's trucks are normally positioned higher than Chevrolet's, and Buick hasn't built a pickup in many decades. Similarly, there's no word on when it would enter production or where it would be built. With that being said, there's very clearly a market for affordable, small pickup trucks. As of the third quarter of last year, Ford had sold more Mavericks than it had the Expedition or the Ranger. Hyundai hasn't sold as many Santa Cruz trucks, but it's still not too shabby, having beaten out the Venue and Accent last year.

GM's redesigned full-size 2021 SUVs face delay over coronavirus

As General Motors works to conserve cash for the coronavirus pandemic, the automaker reportedly told suppliers that it is postponing development of several future vehicles. The situation may cause GM to delay the launch of the 2021 Cadillac Escalade, GMC Yukon, Chevrolet Tahoe and Chevrolet Suburban SUVs, which had been planned to roll out in April. The original launch plan for the redesigned full-size SUVs, which are some of the most profitable vehicles produced by GM, had called for production of the current models to end at its plant in Arlington, Texas, this week. After a retooling process, the redesigned SUVs were slated to begin production late in the month of April. In an email to suppliers viewed by Reuters and confirmed as authentic by GM, the automaker also said it was suspending development work on six future vehicle programs, including updates of the Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Terrain, Cadillac XT4, Bolt EV, Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. GM said preproduction work on those programs would be pushed back to calendar year 2021, with most of the updated vehicles scheduled to be launched as 2022 models. According to the Detroit News, work has also been paused on the Chevy Camaro and a future version of the Corvette that has yet to be unveiled and wasn't planned for production during the 2020 calendar year. Last week, the automaker told employees and suppliers it was delaying work on some future vehicles while pushing ahead with near-term models such as its redesigned full-size SUVs and the GMC Hummer EV, Cadillac Lyriq, Chevrolet Bolt EUV and Cruise Origin, as well as its new Ultium battery system. A GM spokesman who spoke with Reuters reiterated on Monday what the automaker had said last week — that the situation with its U.S. plants was "fluid" and that the automaker would "continue to evaluate" whether and when to reopen those plants on a week-by-week basis, with "employee safety" guiding that decision. GM said previously that it was closing most of its U.S. plants indefinitely. In its Monday email, GM asked suppliers to stop work on all pre-production tooling and pre-production parts manufacturing, but also not to dispose of any tooling or materials. GM told Reuters it had solicited volunteers from its workforce to finish the build-out of the current SUVs on a single shift in Arlington.

Two More Recalls Push GM Total To 4.8 Million In A Month

General Motors announced two more recalls late Friday, bringing to 4.8 million the number of cars, trucks and SUVs the automaker has called back for repairs in the past month. The string of recalls, topped by an ignition switch problem in compact cars now linked to 13 crash deaths, has embarrassed the company and sidetracked its new CEO, who started work just over two months ago. GM has admitted knowing about the switch problem a decade ago, yet it didn't recall any cars until February. The recall delay has brought two congressional investigations and probes by the Justice Department and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Late Friday night, GM announced it would recall 490,000 late-model pickup trucks and SUVs because transmission oil cooling lines weren't secured properly in their fittings. Transmission oil can leak from a fitting and hit hot surfaces, causing fires, the company said in a statement. GM said it knows of three fires and no injuries. The recall affects Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 pickup trucks from the 2014 model year, as well as 2015 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe SUVs and the GMC Yukon and Yukon XL SUVs. All have six-speed automatic transmissions. The Silverado is GM's top-selling vehicle and an important profit center for the company. The GMC Sierra also is among GM's top sellers. Dealers will inspect the transmission oil cooling line fittings and make sure they're securely seated, at no cost to owners. Also Friday night, GM announced the recall of 172,000 Chevrolet Cruze compact cars because the right front axle shaft can fracture and separate while being driven. The recall affects cars from the 2013 and 2014 model years equipped with 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engines. If a shaft fractures, the wheels would lose power without warning and the cars would coast to a stop. GM says it has warranty reports of several dozen shaft fractures. It is not aware of any crashes or injuries. Dealers will replace the shafts free of charge. The recall allows dealers to resume selling affected Cruzes. GM issued a stop sale order on the cars Thursday night. The recall also covers about 2,500 replacement shafts used to fix manual transmission Cruzes that were recalled last September. In all, GM has recalled 4.8 million vehicles since last month, two million more than the company sold last year in the U.S.