Chevrolet
- Hyundai and General Motors announced that they are teaming up to create an electric van for the U.S. market.
- Hyundai will lead the development of the van, which will be built in the U.S. as early as 2028.
- The two companies are also working on four vehicles for Central and South America, including compact and mid-size pickups.
Two automotive giants are teaming up. Last year, Hyundai and General Motors signed an agreement to collaborate in a number of areas, from supply chain management to vehicle design. Now, the two automakers have announced a series of upcoming co-developed vehicles, including an electric commercial van for the North American market. Hyundai and GM said they will work together on five vehicles total, although only one will likely go on sale in the United States. Four of the vehicles will be built with the Central and South American markets in mind: a compact SUV, a compact car, a compact pickup truck, and a mid-size pickup. All four will be offered with both hybrid powertrains and pure internal-combustion engines and will launch in 2028.ChevroletGM currently sells the BrightDrop electric vans under the Chevrolet brand in the U.S.But the big news, at least for those of us in the United States, is that Hyundai and GM are co-developing a new electric van for North America, which they say will be built in the United States as early as 2028. There are currently no further details on the van, including how big it will be. General Motors already sells electric commercial vans in the United States under the BrightDrop name, originally its own brand before it was folded into the Chevrolet umbrella starting with the 2025 model year. The BrightDrop van is offered in two sizes: the BrightDrop 400 measures 238.6 inches long, while the BrightDrop 600 stretches 290 inches long. Both configurations are offered with either a 240-hp single-motor front-wheel-drive powertrain or a 300-hp dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup.HyundaiHyundai currently sells the electric ST1 van overseas.Since the BrightDrop vans already compete with other large electric vans like the Ford E-Transit and Ram ProMaster EV, this new Hyundai-GM-developed van will slot in below as a mid-sized offering, with GM referring to it as a smaller sibling to the BrightDrops. Hyundai currently sells an electric commercial vehicle overseas called the ST1, which measures 221.5 inches long and is motivated by a single 215-hp motor. Hyundai also builds a mid-size combustion-engined van called the Staria, available in both passenger and cargo variants, while sister company Kia recently launched the PV5, the first in a line of new electric vans. Once production is up and running, Hyundai and GM are aiming to sell more than 800,000 vehicles per year from their jointly developed lineup. GM will lead the work on the mid-size truck platform, while Hyundai will control the direction of the compact vehicles and electric van. While the vehicles will ride on a shared platform, each company will create unique interior and exterior designs.HyundaiHyundai also offers the mid-size Staria van overseas in both passenger and cargo configurations.More details should trickle in over the next couple of years. This also appears to only be the beginning of the partnership, with the press release stating that these are the “first five” vehicles from the duo, suggesting there’s more to come. Past reports pointed to a Hyundai-badged version of the Chevrolet Colorado, but we’ll have to wait and see just what Hyundai and GM have cooked up.More on Electric Vans
- Review, Pricing, and Specs for the Chevrolet BrightDrop
- 2024 Ram ProMaster EV Is Practical but Pricey
- Tested: eSprinter Van Is the Future of Delivery
Source: caranddriver.com
