GM embraces electric inflection point

In what may be an inflection point, not only for a legendary American automaker but for the future of automobiles around the globe, General Motors has set off on a new path, an all-electric path. Revamping, rehauling and rebranding, GM invites 'Everybody In' on its shift to an electric future.

Announced Jan. 8, GM kicked off its newest 'Everybody In' campaign, setting an optimistic tone for the company's EV future focusing on three themes:

• Exciting a new generation of buyers and accelerating EV adoption.

• Demonstrating GM's EV leadership, which includes the investment of $27 billion in EV and autonomous vehicle products through 2025 and the launches of 30 new EVs globally by the end of 2025.

• Highlighting the range, performance and flexibility of the automaker's Ultium EV modular platform and battery system.

"There are moments in history when everything changes. Inflection points. We believe such a point is upon us for the mass adoption of electric vehicles," said GM global chief marketing officer, Deborah Wahl. "Unlike ever before, we have the solutions, capability, technology and scale to put everyone in an EV. Our new brand identity and campaign are designed to reflect this."

And it all comes down to Ultium, which will be the foundation for GM's next-generation EV lineup, powering everything from mass-market to high-performance vehicles, including the GMC Hummer EV and the Cadillac Lyriq.

In line with the inflection point that marks the change to electric vehicles, so too is it a turning point for the technology it is founded on. The state-of-the-art nickel-cobalt-manganese-aluminum (NCMA) chemistry used in the batteries powering these futuristic cars allows for the flat cell pouch technology that optimizes power and distance.

Therefore, GM's Ultium platform is reported to deliver an EV that can go up to 450 miles on a full charge; will be capable of powering EVs of multiple sizes, shapes and price points; and is capable of 0-60 mph performance in as little as three seconds for some models.

You can read more about GM's Ultium system and Hummer EV at Ultium EV battery powers new GM legacy in the March 11, 2020 edition of Metal Tech News, as well as more information regarding the latest Cadillac at GM to unveil Cadillac Lyriq electric SUV in the August 5, 2020 edition of Metal Tech News.

To further exemplify that GM means business and to promote its EV future, the Detroit-based auto giant has changed its logo for the first time since 1964. From the bold silver font atop a solid bar, executed in a traditional Helvetica typeface, the new logo features a color gradient of vibrant blue tones, altering the capitalized letters to lower case and shifting the full bar to beneath the "m" exclusively, in a modern minimalist fashion.

According to Sharon Gauci, GM executive director of global industrial design, "This was a project our team took so personally, not just for ourselves but for the 164,000 employees this logo represents. At every step we wanted to be intentional and deliberate because this logo signifies creative and innovative thinking across the global General Motors family."

Complementing the 'Everybody In' campaign and new GM brand identity, the company has launched a new GM.com site Jan. 11 to share the latest information regarding the electrification of its lineup.