General Motors is one of the top automobile makers in North America, and the company has just announced that by the year 2035 they will completely phase out vehicles using the internal combustion engines and all domestic factories will be completely carbon neutral with foreign factories set for 2040.
General Motors owns popular brands including Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac. The company has a wide variety of segments in the market with a range of cars in various price brackets offering competitively priced cars targeted towards the average middle-class family, and luxury cars targeted towards upper-class families and wealthy professionals.
I am pleased with this news, but looking at this announcement from a public relations point-of-view I instantly see where the company could run into trouble, and that is with pick-up truck owners.
In 2020, Chevrolet sold 690,332 pick-up trucks and GMC sold 278,206. This is a target market that is going to need extra attention as the company makes the switch to all electric vehicles, because the 2020 Great American Truck Survey commissioned by Ford Motor Company found that only 40% of truck owners are excited about the idea of an electric pick-up. The survey also gave answers to what it would take for many of the participants to buy electric.
These were factors that could play a role in these consumers buying electric:
- There must be no compromise of functionality or capability of the pick-up truck.
- There must be enough places nationwide to charge the vehicle.
- They would be more attracted if the switch to an electric vehicle lowered the cost of maintenance.
Pick-up truck drivers described how their truck made them feel in the survey as well with the most common answers being dependable, capable, accomplished, proud, and self-reliant.
If General Motors wants to hold onto their position in the pick-up truck market they must make use of this information and understand that while the good press they are receiving from the eco-conscious decision is great, they still have a lot of work to do in the perception of electric vehicles in the minds of pick-up truck drivers.
General Motors needs to send the message that electric-trucks will be functional, capable, and dependable. There must be enough charging stations in place prior to the release of these vehicles and the company should be running advertisements that show there are no compromises being made in the ability of electric pick-up trucks compared to current models. I would urge General Motors to begin a campaign that is centered around the information gained from the Great American Truck Survey before they run the risk of losing a large portion of their pick-up truck sales.
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Hi Kristen,
I found your take on the GM pickup trucks really interesting. Moving forward with electric vehicles is really appealing to more people now with a shift towards more sustainable living, but there definitely are some problems that could arise within groups like current truck owners. From a PR standpoint I agree they need to focus on not compromising functionality for efficiency. Towing power and off-road capability are important factors for current owners and GM needs to communicate that the new electric vehicles will have the same capabilities as current gas vehicles. Overall I think GM will be very successful with all electric cars moving forward if they are able to personalize individual model marketing to current drivers. Current truck, SUV and sedan owners all have different specified car needs. Each has to be marketed to show they are individually as capable as the gas predecessor.
Hi Kristen
I found it very interesting reading about this transformation of carbon neutral energy. I think that is this transformation is not avoidable. The use of new energy is now a hot trend. As far as I know many countries even made rules of using electric buses and trucks. In China most dump trucks are using electric energy now and I believe that the the functional concern of which is been solved. GM is taking a step that every car company need to take just in time concern and I think it is going to be successful.