GM CEO Mary Barra is throwing down the gauntlet, claiming her company will top Tesla in the EV market.
Tesla is the current reigning champion of the EV market. The company was synonymous with EVs for years, with traditional automakers only recently beginning to pivot to EVs en masse.
GM is one such company, and is investing heavily in the transition, recently announcing a $7 billion investment in several Michigan plants, in an effort to convert half of its North America productions to EVs by 2030.
Barra, however, has her sights set on a much more ambitious goal: unseating Tesla as the top dog in the EV market.
“We want to lead in EVs. Full stop,” Barra told CBS News’ Ben Tracy. “And so that’s where we’re aggressively moving.”
A big part of that plan is making more affordable EVs, much cheaper than the company’s Hummer, or Tesla’s upcoming Cybertruck.
“The Equinox EV crossover is going to start around $30,000,” she said. “We’re also working on a vehicle that will even be more affordable than that.”
“Customers are starting to be much more interested in EVs but they want the vehicle they want,” she added.
As CBS News points out, GM definitely has an uphill battle. Tesla has 70% of the US EV market, compared to GM’s 6%. Nonetheless, Barra appears undeterred.
“When you look at how many vehicles we’re going to be able to launch across many segments, that’s why by mid-decade we think we’ll be in a leadership position,” she said.
“Clearly, that’s what we’re working from a North America perspective and we’re just gonna keep going until we have global leadership as well.”
