The Big Fail? GM Plans To Flood The Market With Half A Million Electrified Vehicles By 2017

General Motors will have up to 500,000 vehicles on the road with some form of electrification by 2017 with a focus on plug-in technology, the company's top product development executive said Wednesday.

"The plug-in offers a unique opportunity to change the way people commute," Mary Barra, senior vice president of Global Product Development told media attending the GM Electrification Experience in San Francisco. "Plug-based solutions will play a significant role in our technology portfolio going forward."

The plug-in Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle, introduced in 2010, has become more than a statement for GM in the electric vehicle space, Barra said by satellite from Detroit.

"What started out as a technology proof point... has turned into a real-world starting point to push EV technology further and faster than we thought possible five years ago," she said. "The unique propulsion technology pioneered in the Volt – the same technology that will be featured in the Cadillac ELR – will be a core piece of our electrification strategy going forward."

Learning from the Volt is being liberally applied to the Chevrolet Spark EV, which will go on sale next year in the certain U.S. markets and South Korea with other markets to be announced soon.

"We'll meet requirements set by certain regulatory agencies, but we're not building the Spark EV to check a regulatory box," Barra said.

GM is on track to sell more than 50,000 vehicles this year with electrification – between the Volt and eAssist light electrification technology on the Buick LaCrosse, Regal and Chevrolet Malibu. The 2014 Chevrolet Impala also will offer an eAssist model when he debuts next year.

"Our commitment to eAssist is unwavering," Barra said. "In fact, our future portfolio calls for eAssist to be on hundreds of thousands of GM vehicles annually by 2017."

Rastor - 11/15/2012 2:07:23 PM

+1 Boost

What is the big fail here?

Agent009 - 11/15/2012 4:18:21 PM

+2 Boost

The Volt is way too expensive to ever make up the savings. So there is no economic draw.

The hybrids which they are not concentrating on are STILL too expensive to make up the difference.

GM sold 2,700 Hybrids last month
GM sold 2,961 Volts last month

These figures are with substantial federal and state incentives in place.

So going on that data, they have their work cut out for them when these incentives go away. Remember They are NOT focusing on Hybrids so EVs have to pickup the slack. So it will mainly be Volt derivatives, which are slow sellers. I give them 360,000 over the 5 year period without federal intervention. Of course the feds could always mandate we drive electric cars. Or better yet rubber band powered. That could make it happen.

Agent009 - 11/15/2012 4:19:45 PM

+1 Boost

Not on Obama's shift. The UAW is too deep here.

lemmon - 11/15/2012 3:38:28 PM

0 Boost

There is no big fail.agent009 who ever he is wouldn't say any thing good about GM no matter what they did.

Tritonx - 11/15/2012 6:31:32 PM

+1 Boost

hmm.. 500,000 over the next 5 years doesn't seem like "flooding" if they're already on track to sell 50,000 this year, and the fact that the article never specifies this is just US sales. The prius has already done 260,000 worldwide, in 2012.

Agent009 - 11/16/2012 9:12:30 AM

+2 Boost

The problem is almost every Hybrid or electric is subsidized. Are you ready to pay for a $45K Volt just to save $2k A year in fossil fuel? Right now with GM, state and federal programs you can save as much as $10K on the cost of a Volt. Those will run out eventually.

Rastor - 11/16/2012 4:34:31 PM

+1 Boost

You know what else will happen eventually? Gas prices will keep rising. So vehicles with battery power will be looking better and better, and by then GM will have established a technology lead.