Cadillac, not Chevy, will spearhead GM’s EV push (Update)

3,000 internal combustion engineers being moved to electric motors.

UPDATE They'll be based on a flexible EV architecture, enabling many body styles in front-wheel, rear-wheel and all-wheel-drive configurations

Most of the EVs will be introduced as Cadillacs, a chance to position the iconic-but-tarnished luxury brand once again as a tech leader

The first model, a Cadillac crossover utility, will debut in 2021.

A big focus will be on China, Cadillac's top-selling market

Eventually, Buick, GMC and Chevrolet will share the electric vehicle architecture

What we're hearing: GM President Mark Reuss is doubling the resources dedicated to EVs and AVs — not dollars, but brainpower

Its Cruise Automation self-driving unit is reporting progress on the AV front: CTO Kyle Vogt tweeted video of its driverless cars easily handling complex traffic in San Francisco ahead of this year's launch of a commercial robo-taxi service

The bottom line: Today 75% of GM's 4,000 powertrain engineers work on internal combustion engine technology, and 25% work on EVs. Soon, those numbers will be reversed

Mark Reuss

01/11/19 General Motors president Mark Reuss confirmed that Cadillac will become the company’s lead EV brand, shifting the emphasis away from Chevrolet who rolled out both the Volt and the Bolt with limited success.

Automotive News says Cadillac will become GM’s first brand to build a vehicle on the automaker’s next-generation EV platform, called BEV3, expected in 2021. The new platform is a major part of GM’s plans to launch at least 20 EVs by 2023. Why? Because most of the EVs are bought by wealthier consumers who lean toward premium brands.

GM hasn’t yet said whether that first Cadillac EV will be a sedan, coupe or crossover, nor where it will be built. In 2017, however, the company said BEV3 was flexible enough to underpin everything from compact crossovers to a large seven-passenger luxury sports utility vehicle and a large commercial van.