Details of the GM/Hyundai agreement: GM may well have its version of the Kia PV5

We have known for several months that the Hyundai and GM group have concluded an agreement in principle aimed at expanding their collaboration to meet the challenges linked to automotive design and production. The first details of this alliance begin to emerge.

• The agreement provides for the production of an electric utility van for GM

• This model will be assembled in the United States

• Five vehicles will be developed, mainly intended for South America

In an unstable global context, it is not surprising to see the manufacturers unite their forces to reduce risks. Announced last year, this agreement between GM and Hyundai must allow them to better face the storm. We now know that five new vehicles will be created by 2028.

The partnership is primarily targeting the markets of Central and South America, which will benefit from a compact car, a small SUV and two vans-a subcompact and a compact. These models will not only be electric: thermal and hybrid engines will remain in the majority.

In North America, the impact will be more limited, with the arrival of a single electric van. Rumors evoke the possibility that GM markets its own version of a Hyundai or Kia model, such as Hyundai St1 or Kia PV5. The latter seems the favorite, since it is more recent and can be assembled in the United States-an asset in the current tariff context.

That said, the ST1 retains some interest. Derived from the Staria van, it can accommodate a thermal engine under its hood, which widens its possibilities.

For GM, these new vans could finally replace the aging GMC Savana and Chevrolet Express, whose design dates back to the 1990s.

800,000 vehicles per year

According to forecasts, this collaboration will lead to the annual production of 800,000 vehicles – a crucial volume for the two groups. It will not simply be a question of placing a different logo on the hoods: each model will benefit from a style and an interior design in line with the identity of its brand, whether GM or Hyundai.

A strategy that goes beyond vehicles

This alliance is not limited to the development of models: it also includes the sharing of technologies, materials, technical components, electronics, software and electrification solutions.

José Muñoz, CEO of Hyundai, thus sums up the scope of this collaboration:

“The strategic collaboration with GM will help us continue to offer value and choice to our customers in several vehicle and market segments. Our wingspan combined in North and South America allows us to meet our customers more effectively: vehicles with a neat design, high quality, security focused and equipped with technologies they appreciate. »»

Same optimism on the side of GM, as explained by Shilpan Amin, main vice-president:

“By collaborating together, GM and Hyundai will offer more choices to our customers, more quickly and at a lower cost. These first co-developed vehicles clearly demonstrate how GM and Hyundai will take advantage of our complementary forces and our combined scope. »»