On the lookout for an Electrical Pickup Truck? Extra Choices Are on the Manner

Basic Motors Co.

GM 0.36%

on Wednesday launched a video teasing an electrical model of its GMC Sierra, the third plug-in pickup within the works from GM.

Toyota Motor Corp.

TM 3.30%

a day earlier revealed plans for a future electrical pickup truck, whereas outlining the Japanese auto maker’s broader electrical ambitions.

Final month,

Nissan Motor Co.

NSANY 2.56%

additionally confirmed an electric-truck prototype, a futuristic off-roader it known as the Surf-Out. In the meantime,

Ford Motor Co.

F 0.70%

lately mentioned it has logged about 200,000 non-binding reservations for its forthcoming electrical F-150 Lightning, a battery-powered truck that goes on sale this spring.

With these future fashions, automobile firms are hoping to achieve an edge in what historically has been a key battleground within the automobile enterprise. Pickup vehicles are among the many business’s most worthwhile choices, particularly for U.S. auto makers like GM and Ford, the place they account for the majority of world revenue.

Now, conventional auto makers aren’t solely squaring off with one another but in addition newcomers to the auto market to ascertain footholds within the plug-in pickup-truck house.

Rivian, an Irvine, Calif.-based startup, which has seen its valuation soar since its IPO final month, primarily has the market to itself for now. Proper now, it’s the solely auto producer promoting a totally electrical pickup truck, having lately launched its first mannequin, the R1T.

Within the subsequent few weeks, GM is scheduled to start delivering its $100,000 GMC Hummer electrical pickup to U.S. showrooms. Ford’s $40,000 Lightning F-150 is predicted to promote in a lot increased volumes than the Hummer when it goes on sale, anticipated by summer time.

Tesla Chief Govt Elon Musk mentioned final week at The Wall Avenue Journal’s CEO Council Summit that the electric-vehicle chief would start making its Cybertruck pickup in vital numbers in 2023. Vans are additionally within the works from a number of startups, together with

Lordstown Motors Corp.

and

Canoo Inc.

GM executives have referenced plans for a plug-in model of the GMC Sierra however haven’t offered particulars or a preview earlier than Wednesday. The truck can be revealed subsequent 12 months and in-built Detroit, the corporate mentioned.

The truck can be mechanically much like the Hummer and one other deliberate electrical mannequin, the Chevrolet Silverado-E, which GM is scheduled to disclose on the CES consumer-electronics commerce present subsequent month. That mannequin, anticipated to go on sale within the first half of 2023, would compete instantly with the Ford’s F-150 Lightning.

The long run GM vehicles can be constructed utilizing a brand new battery system that GM says can be decrease value and have longer driving ranges than previous electrical choices.

“I feel the Silverado-E is basically going to teach individuals on what you are able to do with an electrical truck,” GM Chief Govt

Mary Barra

mentioned throughout an look on the Automotive Press Affiliation final week.

Ford has mentioned the demand for its F-150 Lightning has been a lot stronger than anticipated, and that it’s transferring shortly so as to add manufacturing capability. A lot of the reservation holders aren’t conventional truck consumers, Ford product chief Hau Thai Tang mentioned an investor convention final week, suggesting the marketplace for electrical vehicles could possibly be a approach to increase past Ford’s conventional buyer base.

The variety of new electrical fashions coming from conventional auto makers will make it robust for any startup firm to dominate any given class of the market, Financial institution of America auto analyst John Murphy mentioned in a current notice.

“The aggressive panorama amongst incumbents and entrants within the business march in the direction of electrification is turning into more and more fierce,” he mentioned.

Write to Mike Colias at Mike.Colias@wsj.com

Corrections & Amplifications
A photograph that ran in an earlier model of this text incorrectly recognized a truck as a Ford-150 Lightning. The picture has been faraway from the article. (Corrected on Dec. 15, 2021.)