An example of compelled beliefs resulting in preference cascades.
When the dam breaks do not fight the cascade. More on this handy little mental map coming up.
From The Drive, January 31:
Five years ago, GM spurned hybrids to get to EVs “faster and better than anybody else.”
General Motors was one of the first to foray into plug-in hybrids, but it abandoned them amid the hype for electric vehicles. Now that automakers are running up against the current limits of EV demand though, they're looking for other ways to curb fleet emissions. In GM's case, that way is an about-face and return to PHEVs after completely dismissing their potential just a few years ago.
"Our forward plans include bringing our plug-in hybrid technology to select vehicles in North America," said GM CEO Mary Barra during a Q4 earnings call transcribed by Automotive News. Barra added that GM still aimed to eliminate its light-duty vehicles' emissions by 2035, but said that hybrids will fill in the gaps where needed "from a compliance perspective." She didn't specify which segments they may occupy, but going by GM's history, they'll probably be brilliantly engineered and utterly neglected by marketing. So, get ready to scoop up a 2026 Chevy Volt PHEV or whatever instead of a used Blazer EV.
This strategy is an almost 180-degree turnaround from GM's electrification trajectory in recent years. Back in 2019, GM president Mark Reuss rhetorically asked: "If I had a dollar more to invest, would I spend it on a hybrid?" according to The Wall Street Journal. "Or would I spend it on the answer that we all know is going to happen, and get there faster and better than anybody else?”....
