The auto industry is steadily going electric, but automakers seem to be moving faster than car shoppers. With more electric vehicles (EVs) for sale every month, EV sales are growing slowly, while hybrid sales are growing much faster.
That’s a problem for General Motors. America’s largest automaker still makes plenty of gas-powered vehicles. It makes many electric cars, with more in the pipeline. But hybrids? There’s only one in the company’s massive fleet of vehicles for sale.
The 655-horsepower Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray. Not exactly a practical choice for most buyers.
So, in February, GM announced plans to bring hybrids back to its lineup.
This week, the company offered specifics. CEO Mary Barra told The Detroit News that the company will sell plug-in hybrids in 2027.
We Don’t Know Which Models, But We Can Guess
Barra didn’t say which cars would go first. The most likely candidates are the company’s best-selling products. The Chevrolet Silverado is its top-selling product, and its upscale GMC Sierra twin isn’t far behind. The pair competes with the Ford F-150. Ford CEO Jim Farley recently told investors that about a quarter of the F-150s Ford sold last quarter were hybrids.
The Chevrolet Equinox also makes the list of America’s best-selling cars. It shares a platform with the Buick Envision, GMC Terrain, and Cadillac XT4. A hybrid powertrain for one would fit into all of them.
Plug-in, Not Conventional, Hybrids
Barra said the cars will be plug-in hybrids (PHEVs). Like conventional hybrids, they use both a gasoline engine and an electric motor. Unlike conventional hybrids, however, they can charge their batteries from a wall outlet and travel up to highway speed on battery power alone.
Related: Electric Cars, Hybrids, and Plug-In Hybrids Explained
They use electricity for a certain distance — usually between 25 and 35 miles — and then gasoline to travel farther.
So, owning one is like having an EV for around-town driving and a gas car for road trips, but one car payment.
Timing Tied to Emissions Rules
Barra said the 2027 target will help GM “comply with the more stringent fuel economy and tailpipe emission standards.” In March, the EPA announced new emissions rules that will require most automakers to sell a lineup heavy on EVs by 2032.
GM Had the Right Idea but Moved Too Fast
GM is one of several automakers with long-term EV plans scrambling for a shorter-term hybrid solution. Rival Ford recently delayed a new electric truck and stepped up its hybrid plans. Mazda recently announced plans for two hybrids in the popular compact SUV segment.
Most still plan a mostly electric lineup. However, automakers are short on hybrids when Americans look to them as a bridge solution.
A recent survey from Kelley Blue Book parent company Cox Automotive showed that most EV skeptics expect to be open to buying an EV in the early 2030s. That timing aligns with the EPA’s and that of the seven states that have banned new gas car sales after 2035. But it leaves automakers with a need for hybrid products to get them to the next decade.
