General Motors to re-enter Europe with electric only offerings

US car giant General Motors (GM) has indicated it plans to re-enter Europe as an EV only brand, according to a new report from Automotive News. 

According to a source cited by Automotive News, GM’s EV line-up is expected to initially target the well developed EV markets in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.

The first model to enter these markets will be the all electric Cadilac Lyriq SUV, which is based on GM’s new Ultium platform, and which sold a total of 968 units in the first three months of the year in the US market.

The highest sales for GM in the electric vehicle lineup during Q1 2023 was the Chevrolet Bolt with 19,700. GMC Hummer made up the rest.

GM, however, aims to stop manufacturing the Bolt later this year. This could mean that the Lyriq production would replace the volume of the Bolt, but that is yet to be seen.

This report comes as European markets see an influx of Chinese manufacturers entering the market with quality all-electric vehicles.

These range from entry-level brands like BYD with the Atto3 as well as premium brands like Nio who are taking their battery swap technology with them.

Last year, Nio showcased ET5, EL7, ET7 and EP9 supercar at a Swedish EV expo beaking GM to the game. The event was held in December and covered electric cars and sustainability trends in Europe.

Mid-range brands like Xpeng are taking luxury SUVs like the Xpeng G9 to Europe at a price the European and American brands like GM just can’t match. 

GM left the European market back in 2017 after selling the Opel brand to Stellantis. 

The company has shifted strategies to try and re-enter European markets while not offering too many compelling electric options in its local US market.

This space will be quite interesting to see as the automotive landscape is quite different to what it was 6 years ago in Europe. 

With more Chinese brands with global ambitions heading towards Europe, it’s unlikely that GM will be able to gain a large EV market share in Europe which will turn into a bit of an EV battle zone in the coming years.