During her decade as CEO of General Motors, Mary Barra has invested heavily in software and self-driving cars. “General Motors’ vision for the future is a world with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion. Electrification is the key to achieving that vision,” Barra said at the 2021 show.
But what will define her success will be whether GM follows through on a promise she made three years ago to stop selling gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035.
Asked whether GM plans to be all-electric by 2035, Barra said, “For our small cars, yes. We’ll follow consumer feedback, but the plans we have in place will get us there.” But in the face of slowing EV sales, Barra said, “I don’t think we expected it to be a linear progression.”
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Wall Street darling Tesla still dominates the market, accounting for nearly half of all electric vehicles on the road in the U.S. But its market share is shrinking, and with nine all-electric cars and trucks now on sale and four more on the way, GM seems determined to catch up.
Sunday Morning got a first look at GM’s upcoming, highly anticipated electric vehicle, the Cadillac Escalade IQ, which will start at $130,000, can travel at least 460 miles on a single charge, and comes with features like Super Cruise, a semi-autonomous system that allows hands-free driving on many roads.
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To get a glimpse of what else is on the horizon, GM invited us for a rare tour of its century-old Milford Proving Grounds. A 45-minute drive from its headquarters in Detroit, the proving grounds have long been a hub of automotive innovation: GM was the first in the industry to conduct rollover tests and the first to perform crash tests using its famous dummies.
Today, the 4,000-acre site is home to more than 140 miles of test tracks of every type of construction imaginable, from off-road to brick roads and even a full-blown race track.
Corvette Executive Chief Engineer Tony Roma took us for a drive in the new ZR1. With 1,064 horsepower and a top speed of over 200 mph, it’s the fastest Corvette ever. On this day, we topped 170 mph.
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“Why do we need this with all the computer modeling you guys are doing now?” Van Cleave asked.
“You still need to emphasize components to correlate the models,” Roman responded.
From the ZR1’s handling to the distinctive Corvette sound, every detail is perfected in Milford. “We’re big on sound: the start-up sound, the acceleration sound,” says Romer. “We do 50 to 60 iterations. It’s like tuning an instrument.”
“In some sense, does the Corvette always have to be a gasoline-powered car? Can you get that sound and feel (in a hybrid)?”
Roma responded: “We talk about this a lot. I talk about it with enthusiasts, friends, other engineers.”
When GM unveiled the hybrid Corvette E-Ray last year, some initial skepticism was directed at it. But speculation that an all-electric Corvette was on the way has not subsided, in part because President Biden said in 2021, “Mary has promised me: when the first electric Corvette is built, you’ll get to drive it!”
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According to Roma, “We’re not just going to do electrification. We’re not just going to have technology for technology’s sake. Electrification has to happen somehow, and it has to make the car better in a way that customers respond to.”
So far, most Americans have been reluctant to switch to electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids — electric vehicles accounted for just 8% of new-vehicle sales last year — and government subsidies to speed the transition have become a campaign issue.
Barra was surprised that EVs have become a politicized issue. “I never thought that a vehicle’s propulsion system would become a politicized issue,” she said. “Again, I think one of General Motors’ strengths is that we give people choice. We’re not dictating what you have to get. We’re saying, if you want this, we have it.”
EV adoption is growing rapidly in other countries, and most analysts believe it will eventually catch up in the U.S., leaving Detroit in a bind if it’s not ready to compete.
Barra is confident that traditional automakers can adapt quickly enough. “I believe they can, and they are,” he said. “We have a very young workforce. Most of our technical talent has been with us for less than five years. I’d say about 40 percent. They’re joining because they want to be part of a company that’s leading and transforming the transition to electric vehicles.”
“So is it too early to ask about your heritage?” Van Cleave asked.
“I believe a legacy is something someone writes,” she said. “I want people to know that I love this company and I believe in my team.”
Barra is GM’s second-longest-serving CEO and shows no signs of slowing down, and for good reason: The future of the iconic American company hinges on her being right about the direction it’s heading.
“I think this is one of the most exciting times for our industry,” Barra said. “There’s so much change happening right now, and it’s a really exciting time to be an engineer.”
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Story by Mark Hudspeth and Kathryn Krupnick. Edited by Remington Cooper.
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