GMC Granite Looks Ready To Be Unleashed As Affordable EV

Oct. 06, 2022 7:42 AM ET by Gerhard Horn Scoop / 12 Comments

It will most likely be GMC's most affordable EV offering.

Twelve years ago, GMC unveiled the GMC Granite at the Detroit Motor Show. It was a funky hatch with crossover-like styling and suicide doors. We loved the design, but GMC may have been ahead of the curve with the Granite concept. At the time, American buyers were not yet ready for compact crossovers. Heck, we still aren't.

We can now confirm that the GMC Granite will make a comeback thanks to a trademark filing discovered by CarBuzz. General Motors LLC recently filed a trademark application for the name "GMC Granite" with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. According to the trademark filing, GMC Granite will be applied to an on-road passenger vehicle.

For now, that's all we know. But looking at the wider General Motors group, we can speculate what GMC is going to do with the Granite name.

Thanks to the arrival of the Chevrolet Equinox, we know that GM's future plans include selling EVs in the three most significant vehicle segments. These segments are trucks, midsize crossovers, and smaller crossovers like the Equinox.

GMC needs a competitor in two of those segments if it wants to remain competitive. Currently, it only has the Hummer EV, which has been highly successful. But with the average new price of a car set at roughly $46,000, it's hardly a car for the people. The same goes for the upcoming Silverado EV/GMC Sierra 1500 EV.

GMC is missing competitors in the Equinox and Blazer EV segments, but luckily it does have something in common with its General Motors' stabelmates.

GM's various EVs all use the Ultium platform and battery technology. The various brands do have different target audiences, however. Chevrolet's Equinox and its $30,000 retail price caters to a broad audience, while Cadillac's offerings target the high-end market.

Looking at the pricing structure of the already available models, it's clear there is still room left in the middle, and that's usually the space GMC occupies.

Think of the Chevrolet Tahoe compared to the GMC Yukon. They're essentially the same car, but the Yukon offers a bit more luxury and premium stature.

The most logical course of action is to build something like the Equinox, which will have a lucrative market all to itself. There are more than enough customers for Equinox and Granite to exist, especially when looking at the average price of a new EV.

According to Kelley Blue Book, the average price of a new EV is $66,000, which is $20,000 more than the average price people pay for a new car these days.

The USA desperately needs more affordable EVs, and GM is in a prime position to do just that. Thanks to the location of its operations, all GM brands will benefit under the new Inflation Reduction Act.

Naturally, this is all pure speculation, but if GMC wants to make the most significant possible impact with the Granite name, this is the way to do it.

GMC Granite Looks Ready To Be Unleashed As Affordable EV

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GMC Granite Looks Ready To Be Unleashed As Affordable EV

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