GM CEO Mary Barra addresses the automaker’s move to EVs and if Michigan might get a new factory.
General Motors CEO Mary Barra on Thursday took on topics ranging from Tesla CEO Elon Musk to the possibility of a new factory in Michigan. Barra addressed a group of Thursday, on the eve of her eight-year anniversary as GM’s CEO, as part an Automotive Press Association event at the Gem Theater in Detroit. Top of mind was a question on her opinion of Musk’s comments earlier this weeksuggesting that President Joe Biden’s spending bill be « deleted. » The bill, which includes up to a $12,500 tax credit for EVs and subsidies for EV charging stations, favors union automakers, rather than Tesla. « I’m not going to get into a match on that type of stuff because I actually mean what I say and say what I mean, » Barra said. « When I say something, I really mean it and I’m an engineer, so I am going to execute it.” Barra, who has said GM will be the EV leader in the future, said Biden’s bill helps GM reach a broad group of consumers. GM has promised to bring 30 new EVs to market by 2025, including a $30,000-priced Equinox-like electric SUV it will reveal next year. More: Michigan lawmakers, Whitmer fast-tracking incentive plan aimed at electric vehicle plants More: GM forms 2 new partnerships that will create new factories in US « It’s one thing if you’re selling luxury vehicles to a slice of the public. It’s another thing when you’re providing EVs to someone who buys a $30,000 Equinox because that’s the most that they can afford, » Barra said. « It’s their only vehicle. If they don’t get to work, it impacts their livelihood. Do those individuals need that support to make the transition? I think it’s reasonable, if you’re trying to accelerate something.” GM’s first EV on the automaker’s proprietary Ultium battery platform is the 2022 GMC Hummer EV pickup being built at Factory ZERO in Detroit and Hamtramck.
