AD #3232 – Chevy Reveals Electric Silverado; Chrysler Brand Going All Electric; Volvo Hires a New CEO

This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.

CHEVY REVEALS ELECTRIC SILVERADO
GM unloaded a bunch of news at CES. Here are some of the details we learned about the all-electric version of the Chevrolet Silverado. It’s built on GM’s dedicated Ultium platform but is not as wide as the Hummer. The first version launches in Q2 of 2023. That’s the base work truck. It has 510 horsepower, 615 pound feet of torque and starts at $39,900, not including destination charges. It will only be sold to fleet customers. Then in Q3 comes the first retail version, the fully loaded RST. It has 400 miles of range, DC fast charging up to 350 kilowatts, two motors, 664 hp, 780 pound feet of torque, and 0 to 60 in less than 4.5 seconds. All wheel steering is standard, so is Super Cruise, adaptive air suspension, and it sits on gigantic 24 inch wheels. All that helps explain its price tag of $105,000. It offers 10.2 kilowatts of off-board charging via 10 outlets including two 110 volt and one 220 volt outlets in the bed. It also has a mid-gate pass-thru from the bed to the cabin which comes by folding down the 60/40 split rear seats. The bed alone is 5’11” long, making it the longest bed in an electric pickup. It can extend to over 9 feet with the mid-gate open. And when you drop the tailgate you get over 10 feet. And if you’re metrically inclined, that’s over 3 meters.

CHRYSLER BRAND GOING ALL ELECTRIC
Chrysler is also making waves at CES. The brand says it will launch its first BEV in 2025 and by 2028 its lineup will be fully battery electric. That’s not saying too much because it only has two vehicles right now, but it will be interesting to see if the 300 and Pacifica get electric replacements. It does look like Chrysler is getting a crossover-like vehicle, previewed by the Airflow Concept, which hints at its styling future. It sits pretty low to the ground and features a fast roofline with a long wheelbase and large wheels. Chief Designer, Ralph Gilles, calls the exterior elegant and aerodynamic, while the interior gets the tags modern and sophisticated. It has a screen for every passenger, which can be set to display each individual’s content and updated over the air to make sure they never run out of things to do. OTAs will also keep the Level 3 autonomous system up to date and possibly other systems like the powertrain. Chrysler didn’t reveal battery size, but says it’s aiming for 350- to 400-miles of range and AWD with two 150 kW electric motors, although it says it’s making accommodations for larger motors as well.

BMW iX GETS MORE POWER
BMW pulled the wraps off the M version of the all-electric iX SUV. As with any M vehicle, it means it has more power. That mainly comes from a new, exclusive electric motor, which for the more detail oriented is a six-phase motor with dual power inverters, that alone produces 483 horsepower. But the iX M60 produces a total of 532 horsepower or with a Boost Mode on it will make 610 horsepower and do 0-60 in 3.6 seconds. That’s better than dual motor iX, which does it in 4.4 seconds. But range takes a hit. It’s estimated to have 280 miles or 450 kilometers of range, which is about 40 miles or 64 kilometers less, again compared to the dual motor iX. Other changes include new roll bars, larger brake rotors and an available exterior package. Pricing starts at a little over $106,000, including destination charges, which is an increase of more than $20,000.

MERCEDES READY FOR ELECTRIC CAMPING
Mercedes is starting to fill out some of the niche categories for electric vehicles. It’s showing off a camper conversion for the EQV van that’s already on the market. The kit includes a pop-up roof tent, bed for the rear and a kitchen area. It’s available on both 60 and 90 kWh versions as well as two wheelbases. With vehicles like this Mercedes says it hopes to be a pioneer in the field.

SONY SHOWS NEW ELECTRIC PROTOTYPE
It looks like Sony is serious about jumping into the automotive market. At CES in 2020, it unveiled an electric prototype sedan called the VISION-S with Level 2 autonomous capability, which it’s already testing on public roads in Europe. And now at this year’s CES, the tech giant is showing off an SUV version called the VISION-S 02, which is built on the same platform as the sedan and features the same technology. Sony didn’t reveal too many details about the new SUV but perhaps we’ll learn more in just a few months. Sony also announced that it’s forming a new unit called Sony Mobility Inc. in the spring of this year, that will explore its entry into the EV market and into mobility.

VOLVO HIRES NEW CEO
Volvo has a new leader. The automaker announced it hired Jim Rowan as its next CEO and President, starting in March. Rowan replaces Hakan Samuelsson who has been CEO and President since 2012 but Samuelsson will remain the head of Polestar. His contract expired this year and Volvo wanted a new leader who has experience with software and digitalization. Rowan is currently the CEO of Ember Technologies and before that he was CEO at Dyson and COO at Blackberry. But this is just another example of how much the industry is changing that Volvo would want someone with a tech background to lead the automaker.

GM LOSES ITS U.S. SALES CROWN
Well it’s official. Toyota outsold General Motors in the American market in 2021, the first time GM has not been number 1 in full-year sales since 1931. According to Wards Intelligence, Toyota sold 2.3 million vehicles, up 10% compared to 2020. While GM sold 2.2 million vehicles, a 13% drop. But like we said yesterday, Toyota’s stay at number 1 will likely be short lived. Like pretty much everyone else, GM’s sales took a hit due to the chip shortage because it couldn’t produce all vehicles it’s capable of. But once supplies improve, it should take its crown back. Overall, automakers sold 14.93 million vehicles in 2021, up 3% compared to 2020, when sales cratered due to the pandemic. And while the chip shortage did disrupt production, only the Detroit automakers, GM, Ford and Stellantis, along with Jaguar Land Rover and Subaru, saw sales drop in 2021. As far as the sales winners, Tesla by far and away had the biggest increase in sales last year, up 62%. Then it drops down to Hyundai, which posted a 23% increase followed by Porsche, Kia and BMW.

And if you’d like to see more from CES, we’ll be posting our coverage on our YouTube channel and website, autoline.tv throughout the week.

But that wraps up today’s show, thanks for tuning in.