GM is betting compute and AI will help it compete with Chinese automakers

The new EV platform, part of a series of technology-focused announced during its annual GM Forward event in New York, didn’t talk about suspension geometries, dash-to-axle ratios, and torsional rigidity, all nerdy automotive terms that translate to how people will experience a car. Does it have a refined stance? When it hits a pothole, does it feel like a bank vault or a paper plate?

Instead, GM’s announcement centered on novel battery chemistries, revamped electric motors, and an entirely new central computing platform and electrical architecture that will connect every system in the car, including acceleration and power, steering, braking, and active safety features as well as software. Lots and lots of software. That sure doesn’t sound like a traditional automaker’s pitch.

Then again, since the arrival of Tesla, Rivian, and Chinese automakers, the industry hasn’t been the same. Ride and handling still matter, but they’re table stakes. What sets vehicles apart today is largely defined by software.

Anderson has talked about this future GM before. Last year, the company announced plans to overhaul the electrical and computational guts of its future vehicles in a bid to deliver faster software, more capable automated driving features, and a custom, conversational AI assistant. This year, GM is providing more details and dates.

This technological overhaul is set to debut in 2028 with the Cadillac Escalade IQ. The company will also rollout an autonomous highway driving feature in 2028 that will allow drivers to have their hands and eyes off the road and without the need to be ready to take over. European and U.S. automakers have spent years chasing the prospect of software-defined vehicles, but have often fallen short.

Volkswagen Group had so much trouble with its own in-house effort, including its troubled Cariad unit, that it struck a $5.8 billion joint venture deal with relative newcomer Rivian. GM has been on its own capitally intensive software adventure. The company has bet heavily on software in recent years.