How GM plans to persuade automotive buyers to make the EV switch

Electric Chevrolet Silverado shown on the Recent York Auto Show, April, 2022.

Scott Mlyn | CNBC

When people think of electrical vehicles, their minds typically jump to Tesla. But Elon Musk’s company now has so much more EV competition from Detroit.  

Inside the past six years, General Motors CEO Mary Barra has pushed the corporate towards a complete transition from gas vehicles to electric as deals and consumer interest are increasing. GM plans to sell as much as 175,000 electric vehicles to Hertz Global by 2027 – rentals are a key method to introduce more people to EVs without having to commit to a purchase order. And the corporate also needed to close reservations for its high-end all-electric Hummer last week after reaching 90,000 people. 

Ford is on the same track, and it needed to close reservations for its F-150 Lightning pickup, and the auto maker raised prices for the second time on the EV pickup, too.

The reservations and price hikes aren’t nearly an absolute level of demand that’s off the charts — supply chain constraints and limited production for brand new models are major aspects. 

That crowded EV landscape is making GM approach its marketing otherwise, GM CMO Deborah Wahl told CNBC’s Julia Boorstin at a recent CNBC CMO Exchange virtual event. 

“We’ve to be much more clever,” Wahl said. “There may be more competitive activity, more innovations I believe, than at every other time in automotive history since we modified from horses to cars.” 

The message from the auto giants is obvious. 

While the economy is in a period of uncertainty and costs are being scrutinized more closely as inflation pinches consumers and influences purchase decisions, Wahl told CNBC that GM is targeted on core objectives, and “For us straight away, it’s to work on the transformation of the industry to EVs. We imagine EVs are the long run.” 

Taking the Hummer into the world of EVs shows that auto corporations are betting on continued interest on the high-end of the market, where Tesla made its name. Mercedes, too, is betting that luxury consumers will proceed to steer the EV adoption curve. But there’s also a change going down across auto categories and including the best-selling vehicles within the U.S. As GM rebrands as an EV company it’s featuring a growing range of electrical vehicles, from the Chevrolet Silverado (its F-150 rival and together, the 2 most-popular vehicles within the U.S.) to the Cadillac Lyriq and to under $30,000 with its base model Bolt sedan.  

“We have made it very clear that we’re going all-EV in our portfolios, and straight away it’s a very big consumer challenge about bringing everyone together with that,” Wahl said.  

Listed below are a couple of of the important thing ideas inside GM that Wahl shared with CNBC on how the auto company plans to make the EV a mass-market success. 

Let automotive buyers ask a number of questions 

Two-thirds of Americans support the federal government offering incentives for EV purchases, in response to a recent study from the Pew Foundation. Nonetheless, only 42% of Americans could be very likely or somewhat prone to purchase one. While people recognize the advantages of EVs, like helping the environment and saving money on gas, these aspects alone aren’t enough to persuade the general public to change to EVs.  

That is why GM is doing whatever it could actually to coach customers on EVs and get them comfortable with making this switch. 

“Persons are at different levels of information of EVs, and so that they need different information,” Wahl said. “It’s a distinct exchange overall.” 

GM’s video chat platform GM EV Live allows customers to call in to live showrooms, ask questions and gain a greater understanding of GM’s electric vehicles without having to travel to a dealership, whether a customer is interested by charging, mileage or latest technological features.  

GM first began this move towards virtual showrooms back in 2017 with Dentsu Aegis Network when the businesses partnered together to launch a mixed-reality dealership application. Over time, GM has created other virtual showrooms like Chevy MyWay and Cadillac Live, but GM EV Live is the primary EV-only showroom being offered by GM.  

Give attention to all of the in-car technology, not only EV technology 

GM is targeted on advancing technology to create higher and safer driving experiences together with sleeker models for EVs. On-the-go charging abilities, lively noise cancellation speakers and hands-free driver assistance are just a few of GM’s many technological advancements which are enticing even those weary of EVs. 

“They’re already mesmerizing people since the experience is so stunning, not only just the core driving, however the technology that you may have inside,” said Wahl.  

While GM’s technology is finding ways to attract in additional EV customers, the corporate still faces the challenge of getting customers on board with the concept of autonomous vehicles. GM is currently testing Cruise, its first ever autonomous vehicle unit, in San Francisco and it’s aiming to eventually have all its vehicles powered by electricity and be autonomous.  

Despite a recall of 80 Cruise vehicles in early September, GM is pushing towards expanding Cruise testing to Phoenix and Austin and forecasts a business value $1 billion in revenue by 2025. 

Maintain core principles through EVs 

Wahl said one thing that has not modified is the underlying principles of promoting. 

“I do imagine within the core basics of promoting, which is tell the story, tell it well, do it in an interesting fashion, and in case you’re really good, you may make a cultural impact,” she said. 

For over a century now, GM has impacted American culture and secured a presence as a top auto maker. So, it’s crucial for the corporate to proceed maintaining its identity at the same time as it transitions to EVs.  

GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra addresses investors Oct. 6, 2021 on the GM Tech Center in Warren, Michigan.

Photo by Steve Fecht for General Motors

Cadillac, for instance, is getting a remake as a luxury EV brand, starting with the Cadillac Lyriq. 

Cadillac has been iconic it its journey, and that’s its latest tagline, Wahl said: Be iconic. “And in case you take a look at the best way they’re expressing themselves, they’ve gone back to re-express the core of who Cadillac has been but for the fashionable day, and so they’re doing it with the Lyriq EV which completely redefines luxury with EVs,” she said.

With a starting price of $59,990, the Lyriq shall be the primary electric Cadillac in the marketplace, but GM is not stopping there, as other electric Cadillacs are already within the works, just like the Cadillac Celestiq, which is ready to start production by the tip of this 12 months.  

Sustain with celebrity and influencer trends 

The world of celebrity endorsements doesn’t look similar to it did ten years ago either, and GM is partnering in latest ways with iconic celebrities in addition to latest social media personalities, from NBA star LeBron James to TikTok influencer Breland.  

In a recent industrial for the Hummer EV, James shows off the automotive’s CrabWalk ability, which enables you to drive diagonally and enables greater mobility for parking or off-roading.  

The Hummer EV can also be being promoted in video games like “Call of Duty” and GM is expanding beyond producing traditional commercials by placing a latest give attention to social media platforms. 

“Influencers are the brand new media channels,” Wahl said.  

Joining forces with Breland, a TikTok influencer who went viral for making music, GM debuted its first TikTok for Chevrolet. Performing a parody version of his song “My Truck,” Breland sang about Chevy trucks, while various Chevrolet Silverados were showcased throughout the TikTok.  

“It allows us to get the core messages out to the best audiences at the best time,” Wahl said. “It’s pretty easy to see, , which influencers impact which targets.”