General Motors has confirmed its truck division, GMC, is developing an all-new pure-electric rival for the Tesla Cybertruck and the Ford F-150 Lightning.
Set to be based heavily on the GMC Hummer EV pick-up, the new GMC and Chevrolet Silverado EV twin will be tailored to be less of a lifestyle accessory and more of a working utility.
Set to be unveiled later in 2021, ahead of production commencing before the end of the year, the new battery-powered GMC pick-up will hit the road early in 2022, beating both the Tesla Cybertruck and Rivian R1T to market.
Claimed to be part of a $US35 billion ($A48bn) investment set aside by GM to create pure-electric and autonomous vehicles, the new electric ute is just one of 30 new EVs the American brand will launch by 2025 in the build-up to the brand's declaration that by 2035 it will be a zero-emissions car-maker.
There's no word on technical details, but it's feasible the flagship version of the unnamed GMC EV pick-up will come powered by the three-motor set-up used in the most expensive Hummer pick-up.
If so, expect it to produce an incredible 746kW and 1400Nm of torque – enough for a 0-100km/h sprint of around 3.0 seconds.
Set to share the Hummer's Ultium platform, powertrains and battery tech, the cheapest versions of the big pick-up should have a range of around 400km, with the models with the biggest 200kWh batteries capable of covering around 640km between top-ups.
The new GMC utes will also have 800-volt battery packs and 350kW fast-charging capability.
We expect the Ford F-150 Lightning alternative will also bag GM’s latest Super Cruise semi-autonomous driving aids that are claimed to provide (in the US, at least) up to 320,000km of hands-free highway driving.
There's no word on whether the new pure-electric GMC pick-up has been engineered for right-hand drive markets.
To be competitive with the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning, it's thought GMC will match its closest rival for pricing, meaning the battery-powered pick-up will start from around $US40,000 ($A55,000).