- GMC believes it will overtake rivals to become the segment leader of the EV pickup truck space.
- The new Sierra EV is expected to outsell its Chevy Silverado EV counterpart and the Tesla Cybertruck.
- GMC plans to introduce more affordable models of the Sierra EV and Denali editions shortly.
While other manufacturers appear to be reneging on their EV plans, GMC apparently wants to continue its charge, as the company aims to become the leader for all-electric truck sales in the US. That’s according to Duncan Aldred, global vice president of GMC, who anticipates the new Sierra EV will win out against competition from Ford, Tesla, and Rivian.
The GMC Sierra EV is only just being rolled out to customers, with its rivals – including its sibling, the Chevrolet Silverado EV – having had a considerable headstart already. But, in the case of its Chevy stablemate, GMC is counting on the Sierra’s premium positioning as enough to differentiate it.
Read: 2024 GMC Sierra EV Gets More Range And $7.5k Lower Price
The GMC Sierra EV has plusher materials and larger screen real estate, while some of the more advanced features, such as Super Cruise and crab mode, are included as standard. However, both the Silverado and Sierra EVs have the same EPA-rated ranges of 440 miles (708 km), as well as the same power outputs, with up to 753 hp and 785 lb-ft of torque on offer.
Aside from competition within GM, there’s also the threat of the second-quarter sales star: the Tesla Cybertruck. However, despite the two being similarly priced, GMC isn’t anticipating that buyers will struggle to choose between the Cybertruck and the Sierra EV.
Speaking to CNBC, Aldred says that internal data indicates 70 percent of Cybertruck orders are from existing Tesla owners. Conversely, around 80 percent of Sierra EV reservation holders are non-GMC owners, meaning that the EV truck is attracting a new clientele to the brand.
GMC hasn’t said when they expect to become market leaders but they anticipate that sales will increase with lower-priced models of the Sierra EV, which will be introduced soon. However, the market for EVs has slowed down considerably, with Ford going so far as to delay its next EV truck entry from a planned production date of 2025 to 2027. Meanwhile, GMC’s own Hummer EV pickup has been slow to pick up in sales.
To counter this, GMC plans to expand the Sierra EV’s appeal faster than that of the Hummer EV. Currently, only the $100,000 “Edition 1″ model of the Sierra EV has been delivered, but the company expects to quickly introduce and ramp up production of the lower-priced AT4 off-road and entry-level Elevation models coming next year, with the higher-spec Denali models slated for Q4 2025.
