Automotive partnerships are nothing new, even between competing manufacturers. For years, GM has worked with Ford to develop automatic transmissions, Toyota and Mazda have developed vehicles together, eight different OEMs partnered to create the Ionna EV charging network, and now Hyundai and GM have just announced a new partnership to develop a whopping five different vehicles.
A Diversity Of Intriguing Products
Breaking things down, four of those products will be sold in Central and South America. This includes “a compact SUV, car, and pickup, as well as a midsize pickup.” For added flexibility, this range of vehicles would feature either conventional internal-combustion engines or fuel-sipping hybrid systems, technologies both automakers have extensive experience with.
As for the fifth vehicle, it will be an all-electric commercial van co-developed by both GM and Hyundai. Unlike those four other products, this one will be sold in North America, though why GM wants another battery-powered van in its product portfolio is a bit of a head-scratcher. The automaker’s Brightdrop division, which exclusively sells all-electric vans, is reportedly swimming in unsold inventory.
Not surprisingly, given its century of truck expertise, GM is spearheading the development of the midsize truck. Playing to its strengths, Hyundai will focus on the compact vehicles as well as the commercial van. As one might expect, shared architectures are expected to underpin these products, though the interior design and exterior styling will be unique to each brand.
As this partnership between GM and Hyundai matures, these two automotive giants expect to deliver more than 800,000 co-developed vehicles annually. The models slated to hit Central and South American roads are already under development, and are expected to launch in 2028. As for the battery-powered commercial van, that will be built in the U.S. “as early as 2028,” a timing that is a bit vague.
Leveraging Complementary Strengths
“These first co-developed vehicles clearly demonstrate how GM and Hyundai will leverage our complementary strengths and combined scale,” said Shilpan Amin, GM’s senior vice president and global chief procurement and supply chain officer in a media release. “By partnering together, GM and Hyundai will bring more choice to our customers faster, and at lower cost,” the executive added.
“Our combined scale in North and South America helps us to more efficiently provide our customers more of what they want – beautifully designed, high-quality, safety-focused vehicles with technology they appreciate,” noted Hyundai’s José Muñoz in the same release. He’s the automaker’s chief executive officer. “Hyundai’s strategic collaboration with GM will help us continue to deliver value and choice to our customers across multiple vehicle segments and markets.”
More To Come
Aside from partnering to develop five new vehicles, these companies are also working on materials sourcing initiatives in North and South America. Beyond that, GM and Hyundai will also work together in areas of transportation and logistics, plus they’re exploring future collaborations in the areas of low-carbon emissions steel and sustainable manufacturing.
A framework agreement between GM and Hyundai was signed last September. Going forward, these companies will “continue to assess additional joint vehicle development programs for global markets, as well as collaboration opportunities across propulsion systems, including internal combustion engines, hybrid, battery electric, and hydrogen fuel cell technologies.” And this sure makes it sound like GM and Hyundai will be cozying up in the coming years. Whether is a match made in heaven, of course, remains to be seen.
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