GM unveils new logo to highlight its pivot to electric vehicles

General Motors has launched a new logo intended to express the automaker’s renewed commitment to the production and sale of electric vehicles. The company is also launching a new marketing campaign to underscore this commitment, as it seeks to compete with Tesla and other automakers who are bringing new electric vehicles to market.

It’s been about a decade since GM last changed its logo, but this update represents the most dramatic change in the company’s 113-year history. The most obvious change is the use of a lowercase “gm” in the logo, having previously only used uppercase letters. The underline has been shortened to “m,” nodding to the company’s recently announced Ultium battery and electric vehicle platform.

The blue square has been rounded off at the corners, giving the logo more of a smartphone app appearance. Blue is used as an outline rather than filling the entire square, and the negative space in the “m” is meant to evoke the shape of an electrical outlet.

“This is only the fifth logo change in 113 years,” Deborah Wahl, GM’s chief marketing officer, said in a briefing with reporters on Friday. “And probably the most progressive thing we’ve done since 1964.”

A new marketing campaign will punctuate GM’s switch to electric vehicles. Tipping point Author Malcolm Gladwell has been selected as the spokesperson for the automaker.

As an umbrella company for a family of automotive brands, GM’s logo is not as recognizable as some of its rivals like Ford or Tesla. For example, the new logo will not appear on any of its new electric vehicles, from the Cadillac Lyriq to the GMC Hummer EV. As such, the new marketing campaign aims to convey the message of the company’s overall commitment to electrification rather than selling a single vehicle.

GM has been making clear for months its multibillion-dollar pivot to electrification, while keeping an eye out for the sky-high rise in Tesla’s share price. Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Thursday saw his own net worth overtake Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, making him the richest man in the world. And today, for the first time, Tesla’s stock value has eclipsed the combined values ​​of GM and Ford.

GM has tried to convince investors of its own commitment to electric vehicles. The company recently pledged to spend $ 27 billion on electric and autonomous vehicles through 2025, up from $ 20 billion announced before the COVID-19 pandemic. GM also announced that it will launch 30 new electric vehicles around the world, more than two-thirds of which will be available in North America.

GM has unveiled two new electric vehicles in 2020: the Cadillac Lyriq SUV, which is slated to go into production in late 2022, and the GMC Hummer EV, slated for late 2021. But the auto giant has been criticized for having put vehicles on the market too late, while other automakers are racing to deliver their electric vehicles to customers much earlier.

Next up will be two new versions of the Chevy Bolt, the automaker’s mainstream electric car that has been on sale since 2017. A refreshed Bolt and a larger Bolt electric utility vehicle were first announced on “EV Day”. From the manufacturer earlier this year. and are slated to go into production in the summer of 2021. GM has also announced that it will launch a Chevy electric pickup truck with a range of 400 miles.