General Motors Corp. and Hyundai Motor Co. have committed to develop and introduce five new vehicles by 2028, an agenda that follows last Septembers’ announcement of collaboration by the two automakers. They forecast that sales for the new vehicles will reach 800,000 units at full-scale, but further details about the production plan were not announced.
Four of the new vehicles will be co-developed for Central and South American markets, including a compact SUV, full-size passenger car, a pick-up truck and a midsize pick-up, all with a flexible design for internal combustion or hybrid propulsion system.
The fifth vehicle will be a battery-powered commercial van for the North American market. GM’s Shilpan Amin, senior VP, chief procurement and supply chain officer, stated this vehicle will be smaller than the current Chevrolet BrightDrop vans.
“These first co-developed vehicles clearly demonstrate how GM and Hyundai will leverage our complementary strengths and combined scale,” Amin said.
Design and engineering for the new vehicles is in progress now. General Motors will lead the development of the mid-size truck platform, and Hyundai will head up the compact vehicle and electric van design. The companies will share common platforms with interior and exterior designs modified for the respective brands.
The partners also plan to combine North and South American sourcing for materials, transport, and logistics, with potential operations in raw materials, components, and complex systems, and they agreed to study how they might collaborate to source low-carbon emissions steel. Earlier this year, Hyundai announced a plan to build a $5.8-billion electric steelmaking operation in Louisiana.
According to Hyundai CEO José Muñoz, “Our combined scale in North and South America helps us to more efficiently provide our customers more of what they want – beautifully designed, high-quality, safety focused vehicles with technology they appreciate.”
