Though sales continue to grow at an impressive rate, demand for all-electric vehicles, in general, has fallen behind expected levels over the past few months due to concerns over pricing, infrastructure, and range. As such, Ford has dialed back its EV ambitions by a significant margin, instead focusing on hybrids and offering customers a variety of powertrain options rather than forcing them to buy EVs. Now, its cross-town rival General Motors (GM) is also making some adjustments to its own EV plans.
According to GM Authority, that automaker is dialing back its previously-announced plans to produce between 200,000 and 300,000 all-electric vehicles during the 2024 calendar year, down to 200,000-250,000. This goal has already been adjusted on multiple occasions after it was originally slated to be 400,000 units annually by the conclusion of 2023, a target that was later pushed to early 2024 before it was cut significantly.
The goal for GM from now on is to match EV production with consumer demand, and the automaker claims that it has the flexibility to do precisely that. For now, at least, The General hasn’t said whether or not it still expects its EV lineup to become profitable by mid-2024, as previously expected, though it will continue to launch new models in the coming months.
Meanwhile, Ford has taken more drastic measures in response to changing consumer preference, delaying the production start dates of the North American Ford Explorer EV and the second-generation Ford F-150 EV, while also ditching plans to electrify its entire European passenger vehicle lineup by 2030. While it is developing a low-cost EV platform that will underpin more than one future model, The Blue Oval is also laser-focused on ramping up its hybrid offerings, which are more profitable than traditional gas vehicles in some cases, according to CEO Jim Farley.
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Comment
“The goal for GM from now on is to match EV production with consumer demand….” You mean, like a normal commercial company in a market economy should do? It is interesting that this is a tacit admission that they were participating in a centralized planning scheme to force a product on consumers.