Mary Barra, the “Iron Lady“ of General Motors, has decided to put an end to the polite euphemisms and say out loud what the industry has been whispering for years: the concept of plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) is failing because of the consumers themselves. During a meeting with the Automotive Press Association, Barra dropped a real bombshell, admitting that a large proportion of owners of such cars simply... never plug them in. Instead of taking advantage of the technology's environmental potential, they are carrying around heavy batteries like dead weight, turning innovative machines into ordinary, overweight gasoline cars.
This “harsh truth“ is not just an observation, but a cold shower for marketing strategies that presented PHEV models as the ideal bridge to an electric future. According to Barra, customer behavior is forcing the Detroit giant to act with surgical precision when planning new models. It turns out that on paper, plug-in hybrids seem like the perfect compromise, but in the real world they often fail in their mission to reduce emissions simply because the charging cable remains unpacked in the trunk.
Despite the disappointing data, GM is not raising the white flag. On the contrary, the concern is preparing for a strategic maneuver. Mary Barra confirmed that the company is actively developing both classic hybrids and new plug-in systems to meet regulatory requirements that are becoming increasingly complex. But here comes the big “but“ - the strategic focus of the giant remains unwaveringly focused on all-electric platforms. For GM, the hybrid is only a temporary tool for survival in conditions of market uncertainty, not a final destination.
GM's change in course comes at a time of serious upheavals. The elimination of the $7,500 tax credit in the US and the tightening of trade tariffs have cooled investor enthusiasm, forcing the company to "write off" about $6 billion of its investment in electric vehicles. Yet Barra remains surprisingly calm in the face of chaos. She does not hide her amazement at competitors like Ford, which are panicking and losing tens of billions. For her, flexibility is the only way to survive in the fog of 2026, where the rules of the game for the next decade are still being written under the dictates of politics and economic pragmatism.