General Motors could sell commercial electric vehicles made by Hyundai under one of its own brands in the U.S., an executive said this week.
“We are considering re-badging our commercial EVs and supplying GM,” Hyundai CFO Seung Jo Lee told Reuters and other media on an analyst call. “The deal will pave the way for our entry into the North American commercial vehicle market.”
2025 Chevrolet BrightDrop 600
Hyundai signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with GM last year aimed at laying the foundation for an EV and fuel-cell partnership. The automaker now aims to sign binding contracts with GM on cooperation in parts procurement, as well as collaboration on passenger cars and commercial vehicles, within the first quarter of this year, Reuters reports.
Hyundai sells commercial vehicles like buses and heavy-duty trucks in other markets, but hasn’t attempted to enter the U.S. market under its own banner. The automaker is bringing a small fleet of Xcient Fuel Cell Class 8 semi trucks to California for testing, though.
2015 Chevrolet City Express van, 2014 Chicago Auto Show
It’s unclear which Hyundai commercial EVs GM would choose to sell. The U.S. automaker already has its own electric vans, previously marketed under the BrightDrop brand, but recently folded into Chevrolet to leverage that brand’s larger dealer network. The BrightDrop vans are based on the same component set—formerly known as Ultium—used for GM’s current electric cars and trucks.
BrightDrop aside, GM hasn’t shown much interest in developing new commercial vehicles recently. It even once sold a rebadged Nissan NV200—the compact van once heralded as New York City’s “Taxi of Tomorrow”—as the Chevrolet City Express. However, neither GM nor Nissan saw fit to bring the electric version of the NV200 to the U.S.
