General Motors will begin using a high-tech electric vehicle platform developed in China for the Cadillac Optiq. The automaker hasn’t said which markets this will be available in, but the U.S. remains unlikely due to restrictions on Chinese hardware and software.
The next version of the Cadillac Optiq will swap General Motors’ U.S.-designed electric vehicle architecture for a platform developed through a joint venture in China, according to a person familiar with the plans.
This platform is unlikely to make its way to the U.S. due to restrictions on Chinese hardware and software, but it’s a sign of Western automakers increasingly tapping advanced Chinese technology to stay relevant in the global EV market.
GM has two long-standing joint ventures in China, one with the state-owned SAIC Corporation and another with SAIC and Wuling. The Optiq will get the Xiao Yao platform developed at the SAIC-GM’s Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC) in Shanghai.
Multiple Buick models like the Electra L7 and the E7 already use the 900-volt-capable Xiao Yao platform, and it’s easy to see why GM prefers that over its Ultium platform that underpins most of its EVs in the U.S.
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The American-developed Ultium platform has been a flop in China, with sluggish sales of the Buick Electra E5 and E4. They were competing with far more advanced locally-developed EVs from the likes of Nio, BYD, and Xpeng.
GM’s answer to that was to develop a platform in China, for China, to compete with burgeoning startups. Last year, SAIC-GM announced Xiao Yao as a truly software-defined vehicle platform with plenty of flexibility baked in.
Xiao Yao supports EVs, plug-in hybrids, and extended-range vehicles and can be adapted for nearly all body types, including MPVs, sedans, and SUVs. It also supports front-, rear- and all-wheel-drive configurations.
There’s also heavy focus on advanced cockpits, efficiency and high-speed charging. The automaker also sells the Optiq and Lyriq in Europe, where there’s now an influx of Chinese EVs.
While it’s unclear which markets the updated Optiq will sell in, it makes perfect sense to ditch the Ultium platform and update it with more advanced Chinese tech to keep it competitive where that’s possible.
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GM’s U.S. spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication. GM also isn’t the only Western automaker leaning on Chinese tech for EVs sold elsewhere.
Renault also developed the latest Twingo E-Tech at its R&D center in Shanghai while Audi and Hyundai are also planning to make China their next big R&D hubs.
As the global EV market continues to evolve, Western automakers will balance their need for advanced technology with the restrictions on Chinese hardware and software in certain markets.
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