GM has largely given up on vans, but the company could be ready to strike back at Ford and Ram
- General Motors could offer rebadged versions of Hyundai’s ST1 or PBV lineup in America.
- This means the PV5 could eventually replace or be sold alongside the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana.
- A deal is expected to be signed shortly and it could give GM a competitor to the Ford E-Transit and Ram Promaster EV.
Last fall, General Motors and Hyundai announced they were exploring a partnership focused on joint product development, manufacturing, and future clean energy technologies. Specifics were few and far between, but the ultimate goal was to “reduce costs and bring a wider range of vehicles and technologies to customers faster.”
Fast forward to today and Reuters is reporting Hyundai could supply electric commercial vehicles to GM. The announcement was made during an earnings call, where Hyundai Chief Financial Officer Lee Seung Jo said “We are considering re-badging our commercial EVs and supplying GM… The deal will pave the way for our entry into the North American commercial vehicle market.”
More: GM And Hyundai Want To Make Cars Together
Officials didn’t go into specifics, but discussions presumably revolve around the ST1 or PBV family of products, which includes the PV5 van. While Ford and Ram offer large commercial vans, GM has the ancient Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana. BrightDrop was also recently folded into Chevrolet, giving them large commercial vehicles that start at $77,900 and offer up to 614.7 cubic feet (17,406 liters) of cargo room.
A tie-up with Hyundai would enable them to offer something smaller and presumably more affordable, which could tackle rival vans such as the Ford E-Transit, Mercedes eSprinter, and Ram Promaster EV. It’s also worth mentioning that GM has a history of van partnerships and offered a rebadged Nissan NV200 as the Chevrolet City Express.
There’s no word on when we might see badge engineered Hyundai vans, but the company aims to sign binding agreements in the first quarter of this year.
In other news, the company reportedly announced it will build hybrids at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in Georgia. The facility currently builds the Ioniq 5 and will make the Ioniq 9 starting later this year.
Speaking of U.S. production, Hyundai will use its American plants to help minimize costs from possible tariffs applied by President Trump. However, it’s too early to say what the impact could be.
