Manoli Katakis 
The GMC brand sold 482,437 vehicles in the United States in calendar year 2021, down 6.4 percent compared to 515,311 sales in 2020. And another 80,063 sales in Canada for last year, up 2.1 percent. But by 2030 or so, GMC Global Vice President Duncan Aldred and his team believe that the brand grow to one million annual sales – essentially double what we’re seeing today. And it will be done the only way GMC knows how: on the back of its popular, premium, profitable pickup trucks like the Sierra 1500 and Canyon, as well as its up-sized SUVs like the Yukon and Hummer EV SUV. Some will be electric, and some won’t be.
Sticking To Principles
“Trucks are going to remain the cornerstone of the GMC brand,” said Aldred to MC&T. “It’s a fantastic segment, it’s a growing segment… and we’re a relatively small number of competitors in that segment when you compare it to, say, a compact SUV segment… there’s really only five or six (half-ton) pickup trucks and for heavy duty four pickup trucks.”
GMC Sierra EV The Next Big Debut
“We’ve got a great brand in the segment, very highly respected, and a great position in the ‘premium truck brand’, and great momentum,” said the GMC executive. “Most of our growth will come there, but obviously we’ve taken a big step into electrification with Hummer EV… and later this year we’re revealing the Sierra EV as well. There will be an expansion of the portfolio as we go through that surge.”
ICE And EV Harmony Through The Decade
“There will be a transition throughout the decade, building momentum, and really after 2025 gathering pace by 2030-2031,” said Aldred, eluding to an impending product expansion. “So it’s really important that if you want to remain a pretty high volume brand like GMC is you’ve got to play in both segments, and certainly during that transition phase. We’ll have great products in both segments progressively, and that will enable us to keep growing our core business.”
The most recent launch from GMC is the 2022 Sierra 1500 family, led by the top-shelf Sierra Denali Ultimate, as well as the go-anywhere Sierra AT4X. The former delivers on the highest levels of furnishings we’ve ever seen in a General Motors truck, while the AT4X would have little trouble following a Hummer EV into the wide open, rocky wilderness of the California desert. Stay tuned for more on these exciting products.
