About five years ago, General Motors sold the Opel brand to the Stellantis alliance. Although they still sell some Chevrolet and Cadillac models, GM no longer has any production facilities on the territory of European countries. However, the concern plans to return to Europe, but already as a manufacturer of electric cars, reports Detroit Free Press, citing the CEO of GM Mary Barra.
The planned switch to electric power will allow GM to resume operations in Europe, where sales of battery cars are soaring, Barra said. Electric cars and hybrids again overtook diesel cars in March, with the Tesla Model 3 electric car leading the market.
According to the top manager, GM management does not regret selling Opel, the company that makes cars with internal combustion engines. The concern itself is focused on radical electrification: by 2035, all the brands under its control will switch to electric power, and by 2040, the company will become completely CO?-neutral, including production facilities.
GM now sells Chevrolet Corvette, as well as a number of Cadillac models in some European countries, but the dealer network of the American concern is small. Barra, on the other hand, sees potential in the European market as a platform for sales of mass electric cars, although China and North America will still be the priority markets for the concern.
It is not yet clear what electric cars will be like in Europe. GM will bring 30 battery-powered models to market by 2025, including the GMC Hummer EV and electric crossovers under the Cadillac and Chevrolet nameplates. In April, it became known that General Motors teamed up with Honda to develop a platform for low-cost electric cars, the first of which should see the light of day in 2027.