Mary Barra, GM Chairman, is delivering a keynote speech at the recently held CES2022. The vehicle in the background is the electric pickup truck Silverado EV, currently under development with a target release in the fall of next year. [Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] General Motors (GM), the largest automobile company in the United States, has unveiled a vision to eliminate carbon emissions and traffic accidents as essential virtues for future mobility, and disclosed concrete plans to realize this. The 30 electric vehicle models cover virtually all vehicle types, and autonomous driving technology will be further refined. This is a move to demonstrate the 'sustainable mobility innovation' that GM has consistently emphasized.
Mary Barra, GM Chairwoman, said in her keynote speech at the world's largest electronics and IT exhibition, 'CES 2022,' "We plan to invest $35 billion (about 42 trillion won) in electric and autonomous vehicles by 2025 and launch at least 30 electric vehicle models worldwide that cover various price ranges and lifestyles."
According to the company, by 2035, all newly launched light vehicles will be produced as electric vehicles, and all large vehicles will also be converted to electric vehicles during the same period. The Ultium platform is the hardware to implement this electrification strategy. It is a modular vehicle drive system powered by the Ultium battery, applicable regardless of vehicle type. It covers a wide range from economical general electric vehicle models to premium electric vehicles, commercial trucks, and high-performance electric vehicles. The electric vehicle software, Ultifi, applies an over-the-air (OTA) software update method, enabling faster updates for new content or driving functions.
The pickup truck Silverado EV and the sport utility vehicle (SUV) Equinox EV, equipped with Ultium platform and Ultifi technology, were previewed recently at 'CES 2022.' The Chevrolet Silverado EV will be released in two trims: the corporate-use WT trim and the RST First Edition, in spring and fall next year, respectively. It can travel up to 644 km on a single full charge. The Equinox EV will also be introduced in two trims, first in the United States around the fall of the same year.
The plan to reduce accidents through autonomous driving has also become more sophisticated, through the autonomous driving subsidiary Cruise. The Super Cruise, introduced under the Cadillac brand, will be applied to 22 models across the GM brand by next year. The improved Ultra Cruise is also planned to be unveiled next year. GM developed the computing architecture together with Qualcomm. This feature will first be installed in the high-end sedan Celestiq.
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