Chevrolet offers first glimpse of pure-electric SUV

General Motors CEO Mary Barra has teased a single picture of Chevrolet's first ever pure-electric SUV during a speech setting out GM's electrified vehicle business plans.

Announcing plans for the American giant to sell one million battery-powered vehicles per year by 2026, Barra revealed the future zero emissions program centres on an all-new pure-electric platform which will launch in 2021.

As part of the speech to investors and business leaders, Barra declared GM would launch at least 20 pure-electric or hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles globally by 2023.

A GM spokesman told Automotive News the number includes four all-new vehicles by 2020 and two by April 2019.

To demonstrate the commitment, Barra's presentation contained a single image of what is believed to be an all-new SUV based on the Chevrolet Bolt.

Thought to be one of the cars to launch in 2019, the unnamed SUV appears heavily based on the recent Shanghai motor show FNR-X concept revealed in April.

Using the Bolt powertrain should ensure the new pure-electric Chevy SUV will have a range of around 320km and be powered by a single electric motor producing 147kW/360Nm.

So zero to 100km/h acceleration should be possible in around seven seconds.

It's not known whether -- unlike the Bolt -- GM will engineer the new SUV for right-hand drive markets, enabling it to be sold in the UK, Japan, South Africa and Australia.

If not, Australian buyers will have to wait a few more years for GM's next-gen electrified models to arrive.

According to the GM boss, the all-new architecture -- which Barra confirmed would spin off 11 kinds of vehicles, including a large SUV and a "low roof car" -- and next-gen battery tech will deliver significantly lower development costs to boost profit.

The new family of vehicles will also come with the GM's Super Cruise autonomous driving aids.