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GM’s design team has a lot of ideas for what the automaker’s electric future might look like
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–> by Sebastien Bell
2 hours ago
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by Sebastien Bell
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The speculative renderings in this story are neither related to nor endorsed by GM or any of its brands
General Motors is looking forward to an electric revolution, and with that comes the opportunity for new vehicles in segments that the automaker’s brands aren’t represented in. The Detroit giant recently invited select members of the press to its Design Studio in Michigan where it showed and talked about those electric vehicles it’s looking into, including the small, sub-$30,000 electric Chevy truck that we told you about last week.
According to a recent report from Ars Technica, Mike Pevovar, the director of Chevrolet’s affordable EV and crossover design, has had his team investigate a collection of fascinating models that could some day make it on the road. That said, they remain pure design exercises, meaning that it’s anything but certain that they’ll make it into production.
“What we’re trying to do at this point is understand exactly what experiences do we want to create to get people into vehicles like this,” Pevovar said.
While the study that got the most attention from the media (including us) was the small electric pickup truck with a four-foot bed and a sub-$30,000 price point, the team also had a few other designs up its sleeve.
Read: GM Gauges Interest For Baby Electric Pickup Smaller Than Ford’s Maverick
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Ars Technica’s Roberto Baldwin went into a little more detail about the small truck’s design than others, though. Described as a cross between a Geo Metro and a Nissan Gobi concept with the Silverado EV‘s sloping roofline, the truckling could be a big swing from GM’s design team.
In addition, the team at GM’s design center in Warren, Michigan, also had a variety of other vehicles hiding in its halls. Although it was covered by a cloth, there was an electric wagon concept that should excite enthusiasts.
In addition, there was a clay model of a crossover that is described as having more flair than the Equinox EV concept. Even more excitingly, there was also a small boxy SUV described as a likely competitor to the Bronco and Defender that is electric, meaning it would likely find competition in the form of the upcoming International Scout.
Finally, GM also showed media an electric pickup truck with a Hummer grille that was roughly the same size as the Ford Maverick, albeit with chunky off-road tires that helped give it more height than that truck.
“It’s going to be a highly configurable and customizable vehicle for both urban and off-road use, and it focuses on sustainability in a big way,” said Brian Smith, the design director at GM California Advanced Design, adding that the truck is envisioned as having a ridiculous amount of tech-forward features (including four forward-facing cameras and real-time rendering in the infotainment system). More details on that vehicle are coming soon, apparently.
While it’s unclear if and how many of these studies will make it into production, it’s intriguing to have a glimpse of what GM thinks is possible thanks to its new electric platform, and what it thinks customers will be interested in later this decade.
