GM Delays Product Development on New Models

General Motors is postponing the development of updated models supposedly scheduled for release this year due to coronavirus concerns.

Vehicles affected by the temporary suspension in production now won’t arrive until 2021, according to a report published by Reuters. This includes the refreshed Chevrolet Equinox, Silverado and Bolt EV, as well as the GMC Terrain, Sierra, and Cadillac XT4.

Kevin Kelly, the spokesperson for Chevrolet, confirmed that most of the refreshed models scheduled to go on sale this year will arrive next year as 2022 models. He cited the Chevy Equinox, which had already been introduced at the Chicago Auto Show as a 2021 model in February, as an example.

Kelly, however, clarified that the delay will only be for select models and does not apply to all vehicles under the GM umbrella. He said other programs will continue product development for what the company refers to as “near-term” future vehicle projects.

This includes the GMC Hummer EV, the Cadillac Lyriq, the Chevrolet Bolt EV, and the Cruise Origin autonomous vehicle. But none of these models are originally scheduled to go on sale this year.

The Reuters report also mentioned the newly redesigned Chevy Tahoe, Chevy Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade full-size SUV among the models that could also be affected by production shutdowns at the company, but according to Kelly, the launch of these models would see “little to no impact.”

GM was initially planning to begin production of these models in late April at its Arlington, Texas facility. The automaker, however, said that its manufacturing situation remains “fluid.”