GM Cancels Fully Electric Ford Maverick Rival

[ice-capades]

GM Cancels Fully Electric Ford Maverick Rival

https://fordauthority.com/2024/02/gm-cancels-fully-electric-ford-maverick-rival/

 

 

The Ford Maverick has been a smash hit since it launched for the 2022 model year, immediately becoming one of the most sought-after vehicles on the market. As such, it’s no surprise that other automakers have been considering adding a compact pickup to their respective lineups as well, a list that includes both Toyota and General Motors, the latter of which was spotted benchmarking the Ford Maverick by Ford Authority not too long ago. GM was reportedly considering an all-electric Ford Maverick rival as recently as January 2023, in fact, but now, it seems as if such a model is no longer in play, according to GM Authority.

 

As Ford Authority reported last year, this prospective all-electric Ford Maverick rival was so far along in the development process that the automaker shared details regarding its vision for the pickup with the press at its EV design studio in Warren, Michigan. It was reportedly slated to be smaller than both the Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz, with just two doors, a low roofline, and a 4- to 4.5-foot bed, with a planned starting price of less than $30k. The pickup reportedly had a sportier, more futuristic design that was intended to appeal to younger customers who enjoy recreational activities.

 

Now, that will no longer be the case, it seems, as GM is scaling back its EV strategy in response to softer demand. As Ford Authority recently reported, GM is now working to instead add plug-in hybrids back to its lineup for the interim, with PHEV versions of the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra reportedly being “rushed” to market as quickly as possible.

 

Of course, this won’t be the first time GM has neglected to follow FoMoCo’s lead in terms of tapping into a hot segment, as it has also chosen to forgo creating a proper Ford Bronco rival, too. As for the Ford Maverick and the possibility that it may one day add to its powertrain options that currently including an ICE and hybrid variant, it doesn’t seem as if The Blue Oval is planning on adding a PHEV to that list either, as Ford Authority reported last May.

Edited February 22 by ice-capades
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[DeluxeStang]

Ford needs to send GM and Toyota Christmas cards or something to thank them for being so foolish. The maverick is the biggest bit of the 2020s so far imo. The fact that other brands aren't getting in on this is insane to me. 

[akirby]

53 minutes ago, DeluxeStang said:

Ford needs to send GM and Toyota Christmas cards or something to thank them for being so foolish. The maverick is the biggest bit of the 2020s so far imo. The fact that other brands aren't getting in on this is insane to me. 

Why GM and Ram waited so long to bring out a Raptor competitor was always mind boggling to me.   Especially after seeing the prices and sales volume Ford was able to garner.

[DeluxeStang]

22 minutes ago, akirby said:

Why GM and Ram waited so long to bring out a Raptor competitor was always mind boggling to me.   Especially after seeing the prices and sales volume Ford was able to garner.

I genuinely don't understand why GM can't put together a compelling business case for a raptor rival. Even if they wanted to avoid making a full sized off roader, they could target the ranger raptor with an even more capable Colorado zr2 or something. Throw a bit of body work over the bed and swap the bed for an interior, and that same Colorado could be turned into bronco rival. Seems easy enough. 

 

Yet they'd rather offer some ev hummer that no-one wants or can afford. GM baffles me. They have Ford beat in a few areas, primarily with their large three row utilities Suburban and Tahoe, and with the c8, but beyond that, they seem to be behind Ford just about everywhere else. 

[ice-capades]

57 minutes ago, DeluxeStang said:

I genuinely don't understand why GM can't put together a compelling business case for a raptor rival. Even if they wanted to avoid making a full sized off roader, they could target the ranger raptor with an even more capable Colorado zr2 or something. Throw a bit of body work over the bed and swap the bed for an interior, and that same Colorado could be turned into bronco rival. Seems easy enough. 

 

Yet they'd rather offer some ev hummer that no-one wants or can afford. GM baffles me. They have Ford beat in a few areas, primarily with their large three row utilities Suburban and Tahoe, and with the c8, but beyond that, they seem to be behind Ford just about everywhere else. 

 

GM could do whatever they want with trying to create a Colorado based competitor to the Bronco and it wouldn't make a difference. The new generation Bronco struck a chord with the modern consumer and re-established the Bronco as the worthy successor. A Colorado based Bronco competitor doesn't have the heritage or ability to compete successfully. 

 

GM does have decades of sales leadership with their large 3-row utilities and Ford's Excursion was killed off by the environmentalists. Ford doesn't compete in my opinion with the C8 Corvette, whether it be the Mustang Dark Horse, a new Shelby or GT3 version. The Corvette and Mustang serve different niche markets, with their own interests and loyalty, with little of the crossover interest and sales that existed years ago. 

[akirby]

1 hour ago, DeluxeStang said:

 Even if they wanted to avoid making a full sized off roader, they could target the ranger raptor with an even more capable Colorado zr2 or something. 

Actually they did with the Trail Boss and ZR2 Bison models.  Not sure how close they are to Ranger Raptor but they’re trying.

[fuzzymoomoo]

@ice-capades You forgot to include the “well have more on…” form paragraph ?

 

in all seriousness I can’t say I’m surprised since literally everyone is rethinking their BEV plans. 

[DeluxeStang]

40 minutes ago, akirby said:

Actually they did with the Trail Boss and ZR2 Bison models.  Not sure how close they are to Ranger Raptor but they’re trying.

I'm not sure how accurate this is, but I've heard people likening the trail boss and zr2 to Ford's tremor packages. Something that's off-road capable, but doesn't go as far as the raptor does. 

 

1 hour ago, ice-capades said:

 

A Colorado based Bronco competitor doesn't have the heritage or ability to compete successfully. 

It would if they called it the blazer and gave it a few retro styling cues on the front and rear. 

 

1 hour ago, ice-capades said:

Ford doesn't compete in my opinion with the C8 Corvette

They don't, they should, but that's a topic for another thread. 

[akirby]

43 minutes ago, DeluxeStang said:

I'm not sure how accurate this is, but I've heard people likening the trail boss and zr2 to Ford's tremor packages. Something that's off-road capable, but doesn't go as far as the raptor does. 

ZR2 Bison is the new one and it comes a lot closer to Raptor except in the engine dept.

[rmc523]

21 hours ago, ice-capades said:

 

GM could do whatever they want with trying to create a Colorado based competitor to the Bronco and it wouldn't make a difference. The new generation Bronco struck a chord with the modern consumer and re-established the Bronco as the worthy successor. A Colorado based Bronco competitor doesn't have the heritage or ability to compete successfully. 

 

GM does have decades of sales leadership with their large 3-row utilities and Ford's Excursion was killed off by the environmentalists. Ford doesn't compete in my opinion with the C8 Corvette, whether it be the Mustang Dark Horse, a new Shelby or GT3 version. The Corvette and Mustang serve different niche markets, with their own interests and loyalty, with little of the crossover interest and sales that existed years ago. 

 

GM would probably call it the XYZ-123 and then wonder why people don't get excited about the product.