GM and Hyundai to Jointly Develop Five New Models

After months of speculation, the automakers revealed a binding agreement including a shared vehicle roadmap aimed at Central and South American markets. The joint portfolio will include a compact car, a compact crossover, a compact truck, and a mid-size pickup, along with one electric commercial van destined for North America.

While both companies will contribute to each project, responsibilities will be split—GM will lead the development of the mid-size pickup, while Hyundai will oversee everything else. All models are expected to be engineered with the flexibility to support either internal combustion engines or hybrid powertrains.

For U.S. shoppers, the only confirmed product is an electric commercial van, which is expected to launch in 2028. While official details remain non-existent, it's believed the van may be a rebadged version of Hyundai’s ST1 or Kia PV5, potentially serving as a long-overdue replacement for the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana. GM has already hinted that this vehicle will serve as a “smaller sibling” to the BrightDrop van family.

This isn’t GM’s first foray into van partnerships. The automaker previously rebadged the Nissan NV200 as the Chevrolet City Express, a model that was discontinued in 2018 due to poor demand.

GM has struggled to modernize its aging commercial van lineup, with the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana nearing the end of their extremely successful production life. While GM’s BrightDrop EV vans were intended to modernize its commercial offerings, no one actually wants the electric vans, with sales floundering and inventory piling up.

Last year, it was reported that GM had canceled in-house plans to replace the aging Chevrolet Express/GMC Savanna pair with an electric van based on the BrgihtDrop EV platform. The 30-year-old work vans are a pure profit center, and it will be difficult—maybe even impossible—to replicate that success.

If everything stays on track, the partnership between GM and Hyundai could generate more than 800,000 combined vehicle sales annually, according to the companies. While all five models will share core components and engineering, each version will be dressed with brand-specific designs inside and out, offering unique showroom identities.

Design and engineering work is already underway, with models intended for Latin America expected to begin production by 2028. Meanwhile, the U.S.-bound commercial van will be assembled in North America, though a final location has yet to be announced.

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