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GM to accelerate its EV strategy — Cadillac could be all-electric by 2025

General Motors will roll out details of an expanded and accelerated electric vehicle strategy on Thursday in an effort to convince investors it can be a serious competitor to Tesla, people familiar with the plans said. GM Chief Executive Mary Barra, who is scheduled to speak at a conference hosted by Barclays, is expected to say the automaker is ready to spend more on electric models by 2025 than the $20 billion previously outlined, the sources said. Supplier sources said previous plans to make the Cadillac brand all-electric by 2030 are being sped up, possibly to 2025, and other sources said that acceleration will be repeated in other brands and in segments such as commercial vans. Asked about the Thursday appearance, a GM spokeswoman called talk of increased spending speculative and declined to give details. The Detroit automaker is also expected to discuss a new timeline for many of the EVs to follow those already identified, such as the GMC Hummer EV pickup and Cadillac Lyriq crossover, people familiar with the plans said. Lyriq (shown above) is slated to go into production in late 2022, but GM officials have been stung by criticism the automaker was bringing the vehicle to market too late, one source said. "The pull-ahead in programs is real and the organization is really doubling down on speeding up product development," the source said. Barra and other GM executives have been signaling the automaker's EV acceleration plans. She said earlier this month GM would boost capital spending over the next three years to speed EV development and was talking with other automakers about partnerships to develop more vehicles using GM's battery technology. Last week, a GM executive said the company had pulled forward the rollout of two "major" EV programs, and GM officials have touted the faster 18-month development time for the Hummer truck. Tesla's soaring market capitalization, and growing pressure from regulators to phase out carbon-emitting engines, has put pressure on established automakers to respond to investors who view their internal combustion lineups as outmoded and doomed in the long run. A critical part of GM's pitch to investors has been its new Ultium batteries, which it estimates will offer an electric driving range of 400 miles or more on a single charge. It is building a battery plant with Korean battery maker LG Chem in northeast Ohio.

2022 GMC Hummer EV shows off accessories ahead of SEMA

As is the case with nearly every new off-roader on the market, the 2022 GMC Hummer EV will have a bunch of accessories available for personalizing the big electric pickup truck. In fact, GMC says that the total number of add-ons is close to 200. But for the SEMA show, it's sharing just a few of what it says are the more interesting accessories. Quite a few of these parts will take you a long way to turning the Hummer EV into an overlander. The most obvious is the roof-top tent that utilizes mounts on the roof and the bed. It looks quite large and roomy. Naturally, auxiliary lighting is available, too, including a 50-inch roof light bar and two smaller spot lights that mount ahead of the A pillars. For storage, there's a nifty swing-out toolbox, shown in the gallery as more of a tackle box, plus a battery-powered cooler and a bed-mount for a full-size spare tire. There's also a more traditional bed extender and simple bed rail-mounted rack. And just for fun, you can get a Kicker audio sound system built into the MultiPro tailgate to listen to your music. Not all the accessories are about utility, though. There are some visual enhancements such as the red decals shown in the gallery. They match other decals and badges available, and they're offered in bronze, too. There are some branded puddle lights on offer as well. These should be available around when the Hummer EV pickup goes on sale next year. Pricing for each part will surely vary, though exact numbers haven't been announced. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Mil-Spec M1-R First Drive Review | The ultimate Hummer H1 gets better

In 2018, we got our first introduction to Mil-Spec, a company that sought to do to Hummer H1s what other resto-mod companies like Singer and Icon have done to other classic cars. Its initial run of hopped-up Hummers showed quite a bit of promise with an array of mechanical upgrades, including a particularly potent and entertaining diesel engine, plus major improvements to interior livability and luxury. As good as the initial trucks were, Mil-Spec wanted to do even better. It focused on details such as better materials and ergonomics for what it’s calling the second-generation of restored H1s. And all those upgrades are on display in the M1-R, which takes the second-gen M1 and adds some pretty extreme customer-requested modifications. @autoblog WhatÂ’s that? Oh nothing, just a Mil-Spec M1-R rolling on by ##autoblog ##hummer ##m1r ##custom ##fyp ? original sound - Autoblog As with all Mil-Spec Hummers, the M1-R received a comprehensive restoration, taking the body and frame down to bare metal. It was recoated in a durable bedliner-style material made with bits of Kevlar. This particular one was given a tint to make it look like one of the factory H1 colors, Competition Yellow. Steel off-road bumpers, a front brush guard, rear tubular tire rack, fender flares and door panels finished in plain black add contrast and help give it a more rough-and-tumble look. The simple and rugged 20-inch Black Rhino wheels look right at home on the truck, too, especially wrapped in the 38-inch off-road tries. Most of the improvements in the second-gen M1 are found within the cabin. As before, every upholstered surface is made of leather, in this case with diamond stitching that the customer requested. ItÂ’s all done in-house (fun fact, Mil-Spec is now also doing upholstery for private jets). Virtually every non-upholstered surface is made from machined aluminum. That includes the steering wheel, climate control knobs, air vents, window switches, turn signal stalks, even the custom-made ignition key. They all look and feel superb with hefty weight and crisp edges. The toggle switches are a particular treat and return a light, mechanical click with each press. Some of them are a little tough to reach as a result of the HummerÂ’s strange interior layout, but that would be the case even in a stock Hummer. These aluminum pieces are a massive step up from the plastic rocker switches and air vents used on previous Mil-Spec Hummers.