With EV sales growth slowing down, General Motors “is currently assessing” its massive investment in battery-electric vehicles. And, while it remains committed to CEO Mary Barra’s “path to an all-electric future,” it will shift more emphasis to the hybrids and plug-ins it was planning to abandon. And other automakers, including Ford and Stellantis, are likewise shifting direction. If anything, this validates Toyota’s strategy calling for a mix of EVs, hybrids and PHEVs, reports Headlight.News.
When Stellantis reached a tentative settlement with the UAW on Saturday there was a surprise buried in the agreement. As part of the deal, the automaker will build a long-awaited midsize pickup at the Belvidere, Illinois assembly plant it recently closed. And the new truck is likely to get a hybrid, possibly even an all-electric powertrain.
With no major progress reported in contract talks with Detroit’s Big Three automakers, the UAW ordered nearly 7,000 workers to walk out at the most profitable plant operated by Stellantis, its Ram pickup line in the Detroit suburb of Sterling Heights.
Nearly five weeks in, there appears to be no immediate end in sight for the UAW’s strike against Detroit’s Big Three. In his first appearance since the union’s contracts with his company expired, Ford Chairman Bill Ford spoke out, warning the walkout could destroy the American auto industry, and saying “We need to come together to bring an end to this acrimonious round of talks.”