{"id":34747,"date":"2025-07-14T20:51:55","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T00:51:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=34747"},"modified":"2025-07-14T20:51:55","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T00:51:55","slug":"evs-racing-and-tariffs-mark-reuss-on-how-gm-is-remaking-its-brands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/evs-racing-and-tariffs-mark-reuss-on-how-gm-is-remaking-its-brands","title":{"rendered":"EVs, racing and tariffs: Mark Reuss on how GM is remaking its brands"},"content":{"rendered":"

Le Mans, France<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 With race-licensed president and product guru Mark Reuss at the wheel, General Motors Co. has put the pedal to the metal in a race to reinvent itself.<\/p>\n

In an extensive interview with The Detroit News, Reuss detailed the General\u2019s ambitious product revamp \u2014 from electric vehicles to motorsports to SUV models \u2014 beginning with its luxury jewel.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re excited to be here again as we build up Cadillac from an electric propulsion standpoint \u2014 but also an ICE (internal combustion engine) standpoint,\u201d said the 30-year GM veteran while V8-powered Cadillac Hypercars thundered by behind him on the course that hosts the 24 Hours of LeMans. \u201cWe’re not going away with our ICE \u2014 this (race car) happens to be a hybrid. Cadillac’s on a real roll. We’ve invested a lot of money (and) I think that’s starting to pay off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cadillac is indicative of a sprawling GM strategy overhauling its four brands \u2014 all while navigating a complicated and shifting government landscape of green regulations and tariffs.<\/p>\n

\"General<\/figure>\n
General Motors Co. President Mark Reuss on the automaker’s complementary powertrain strategy: \u201cIf we can also sell EVs to be able to sell the V-8s, that’s a pretty powerful thing.\u201d Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\u201cOverall they are in pretty good shape,\u201d said Sam Abuelsamid, an auto industry analyst for Telemetry Insight. \u201cTheir EV sales have remained surprisingly strong, particularly at the lower end with the (Chevy) Equinox \u2014 and Cadillac Optiq and Lyriq are doing well. They\u2019re spending $4 billion to retool three plants to reposition products \u2014 in response to tariffs \u2014 that have been built in Mexico and in under-utilized U.S. plants.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amplifying the product blitz is the most aggressive push into international motorsports in GM\u2019s history. Cadillac will enter Formula One (with engine partner Ferrari) in 2026, raising Cadillac\u2019s profile (along with the V-Series.R Hypercar entries here) as it enters European showrooms with a historic all-EV lineup. Chevrolet\u2019s Corvette has also gone international, selling GT3-class race cars to global teams.<\/p>\n

\"Cadillac<\/figure>\n
\n

Cadillac Hypercars lead the field at the opening of last month’s 24 Hours of LeMans. The GM luxury brand is making a big racing push that includes competing in Formula One starting next year. Cadillac, Cadillac<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In North America, the same V8-powered Caddy Hypercars and \u2018Vettes compete in the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar series, while the Chevrolet brand provides engines for IndyCar and over a dozen V8-powered stockers for the NASCAR Cup series.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a lot of V-8s, and Reuss underlined the importance of consumer choice in the U.S. market as the Trump administration has rolled back EV mandates from California and the Environmental Protection Agency. But Reuss reiterated the company\u2019s commitment to a zero-emissions future, a cornerstone of its \u201cZero Zero Zero\u201d strategy (zero crashes, zero emissions, zero congestion) even as it has shelved its autonomous vehicle ambitions.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo matter what happens, the end game is zero emissions,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we can also sell EVs to be able to sell the V-8s, that’s a pretty powerful thing. We sell a lot of V-8 and diesel pickup trucks. We’re able to do that because we have a successful EV portfolio.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"On<\/figure>\n
On the 24 Hours of Le Mans grid, GM President Mark Reuss, right, with GM global race chief Jim Campbell and a Corvette Z06 GT3, which the automaker is selling to global race teams. Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Cue a nearly $1 billion spend on next-gen V-8s, Abuelsamid said: \u201cGM has made a big investment in its Buffalo Tonawanda propulsion plant for the next-gen V-8s, which was previously going into Mexico.\u201d<\/p>\n

Assisting that V-8 future are near zero-emission synthetic fuels, lackluster consumer demand for EVs and fears of battery dependence on Communist China. Millions of gas-powered autos will ply the byways for decades, and manufacturers like Porsche are investing heavily in synfuels to keep those vehicles going while meeting government mandates.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Synthetic fuels) would be great. Anything that helps the consumer who wants a car,\u201d Reuss said. \u201cThe question is infrastructure \u2014 just like EV charging, right? You need a big, big, big supply of regular fuel. We have research and development going on in all those fields.\u201d<\/p>\n

The technology appears to be a factor in GM\u2019s Formula One investment as it pushed its power unit (F1 speak for drivetrain) debut to 2029 \u2014 reportedly to give the sport time to make up its mind between heavy, expensive hybrid-electric power units \u2014 or synfuel.<\/p>\n

Whatever the outcome, Reuss is bullish on GM\u2019s investment in a motorsport that boasts a staggering global fanbase of 750 million people.<\/p>\n

\"GM<\/figure>\n
\n

GM President Mark Reuss enjoys the Cadillac team’s front row position on the front row for the start of last month’s 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. He says racing’s importance for the automaker stretches into marketing, technology and psychology: \u201cI believe it’s important for our employees to understand what it feels like to win.\u201dNick Dungan, Drew Gibson Photography\/GM<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201c<\/strong>I thought it was important when we started, three years ago, (to enter) Formula 1. But I never imagined that a video of a (Cadillac F1) brand reveal (at the Miami Grand Prix), would get 10 million people\u201d on social media, he said. \u201cIt’s just extraordinary. So whatever we thought it was, it’s actually much bigger than that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crosstown rival Ford Motor Co. is also entering F1 in parentship with England\u2019s Red Bull. But Caddy\u2019s entry is more comprehensive as a full works team overseeing chassis and power unit development \u2014 a first for an American manufacturer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re here to win, we’re not here to participate,\u201d Reuss said of expectations for 2026, Cadillac’s first year in F1. While GM develops its 2029 power unit, Ferrari will supply an engine for next year.<\/p>\n

In addition to glory, the F1 goal is to establish Cadillac as a credible global performance brand like Ferrari, Mercedes, Porsche.<\/p>\n

\"Cadillac's<\/figure>\n
\n

Cadillac’s glitzy Paris showroom is part of the luxury brand’s efforts to reintroduce itself to European buyers as a high-tech, all-electric marque. Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201c<\/strong>We haven’t sold cars (in Europe) in a long time, and so people don’t know what Cadillac is,\u201d Reuss said. \u201cHow do you start that? You have to have a brand that people believe in. What it stands for is important, (so) we’re going to race Cadillac.\u201d<\/p>\n

Telemetry analyst Abuelsamid said Cadillac wins in F1 and Le Mans could boost GM’s global profile and interest in its products: \u201cIt raises the awareness of some of those brands in markets where they really haven\u2019t had a presence in recent years.\u201d<\/p>\n

All that, plus Reuss just thinks racing is healthy for the company. \u201cWe\u2019ve been racing for a while,\u201d he smiled. \u201cI believe it’s important for our employees to understand what it feels like to win.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/figure>\n
\n

A Cadillac Lyriq EV glides along the streets of Paris. It’s among a stable of new battery-powered models GM’s luxury brand is selling in Europe as the automaker remakes itself amid a shifting maze of trade, emissions and tax credit regulations.” Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Cadillac isn\u2019t the only GM brand to embrace electrification. Chevrolet has been remade with parallel ICE and EV lines \u2014 complete with distinct design identities. There\u2019s an ICE Silverado pickup and an EV Silverado. An ICE Blazer and an EV Blazer. ICE Equinox, EV Equinox. There even appears to be an EV Corvette on the horizon, judging from a recent design study from the General\u2019s London studio.<\/p>\n

Yet, Reuss did not bemoan recent government EV policy reversals eliminating the $7,500 federal consumer tax credit, federal Inflation Reduction Act subsidies, and California zero-emissions mandate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe strategy that we put in place on electric vehicles was prior to any of the Inflation Reduction Act stuff,\u201d Reuss said. \u201cWe’re capacitized to vertically integrate cells, which no one else is really doing. We’re the number one producer of cells, modules and packs. There’s a lot of cool stuff happening that is to plan, so long-term capital investment is the way we want to structure our business.\u201d<\/p>\n

He welcomed the elimination of California\u2019s regulatory exemption, which had created market uncertainty and threatened big industry fines for noncompliance beginning in 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe amount of money that we have spent \u2014 that the whole industry has spent \u2014 around a non-harmonized regulatory environment is very large,\u201d Reuss said. \u201cThe harmonization of that, however it happens, is really good. We can concentrate our spend, because some of those regulatory things were in direct opposition to other ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tariffs have also introduced uncertainty, echoing federal import quotas on Japanese imports in the 1980s. But this time, tariffs are aimed at Detroit Three manufacturers as well as foreign brands. Like Japanese automakers 40 years ago, GM is scrambling to bring production stateside \u2014 including bringing pickup and large SUV production to Orion Assembly in Oakland County.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re looking at (hiring) around 3,000-4,000 people and 1,000 retained,\u201d Reuss said of Orion\u2019s reboot, which has received bipartisan support from the White House to Michigan congressional leaders to UAW President Shawn Fain. \u201cProbably 2,500 new jobs. That’s just us \u2014 not the supply chain around us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"GM's<\/figure>\n
\n

GM’s Orion Assembly complex, which closed after Chevy Bolt EV production ended there in late 2023, is getting new life building large, V8-powered trucks and SUVs, part of the automaker’s strategy of investing in multiple powertrains. Andy Morrison, The Detroit News<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Analyst Abuelsamid said Orion will benefit from the \u201cmove of full-size pickup production from Mexico to Orion while adding additional capacity for the full-size SUVs that they\u2019ve already built in Arlington.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reuss said the move will relieve pressure on the Texas assembly plant where Chevrolet Tahoe\/Suburban, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade mega-utes are produced:\u00a0\u201c<\/strong>We run that plant flat-out. It’s not sustainable for our people, so that’s a big deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

For all of GM\u2019s big moves, Reuss still reserves a soft spot for a smaller piece on the chessboard: the Chevy Camaro, an icon shelved in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy first car was a Camaro \u2014 a 1967 Camaro that my dad and I went and found in southern Illinois. It was $1,300,\u201d he mused. \u201cIt was high school, I was 16, and it brought so much joy to me. Not because I was racing the car, but because it was a really pretty car.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reuss was asked if it would return.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that formula of beauty \u2014 and a little bit of functionality and fun \u2014 all of that is important. If we were getting back into Camaro, that piece of it is really important. That segment is declining \u2014 I think they sold more Mach-Es than they did Mustangs. I think that would be a great formula, and we have the ability to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Le Mans, France\u00a0\u2014 With race-licensed president and product guru Mark Reuss at the wheel, General Motors Co. has put the pedal to the metal in a race to reinvent itself. In an extensive interview with The Detroit News, Reuss detailed the General\u2019s ambitious product revamp \u2014 from electric vehicles to motorsports to SUV models \u2014 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34747"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34747"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34747\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34748,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34747\/revisions\/34748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}