GM considers sharing Volt’s powertrain with rivals

According to Automotive News, General Motors (GM) global powertrain chief,  Dan Nicholson, is open to partnerships with other companies to share powertrain technology. "We want to be the partner of choice in propulsion system development in this complex and turbulent era we are approaching," he stated. According to Automotive News, an EV partnership could have serious financial implications for GM and any potential collaborator. Smaller, rival automakers could get a competitive powertrain (from the Volt) without the huge expense of research and development, while GM would benefit from larger economies of scale to drive down prices.

DETROIT -- General Motors could supply the gasoline-electric powertrain used in the redesigned 2016 Chevrolet Volt to other automakers, said GM's global powertrain chief, Dan Nicholson.

"We want to be the partner of choice in propulsion system development in this complex and turbulent era we are approaching," Nicholson said on the sidelines of the opening of GM's Powertrain Performance and Racing Center in Pontiac, Mich.

Access to GM's hybrid technology could be a lifeline for smaller automakers lagging in electrification, such as Fiat Chrysler, Subaru, Mazda, Mitsubishi and Jaguar Land Rover.