DETROIT – In what one analyst called the “best GM conference call in years,” General Motors CEO Mary Barra outlined for Wall Street on Tuesday the automaker’s plans, including the news that it will reintroduce plug-in hybrid technology to select vehicles in North America.

Some GM dealers have reportedly asked for GM to consider plug-in hybrids — which are propelled by both an electric motor and a gasoline engine for backup — arguing the vehicles would alleviate range anxiety and charging challenges that holds back some car buyers from purchasing a battery-electric vehicle. GM last sold a hybrid in the United States — the Chevrolet Volt — from 2010 to 2019.

“They’re listening to dealers,” Dan Ives, managing director of Wedbush Securities, told the Detroit Free Press. “This was a long time coming and they needed to go down this path to appease the dealers and it’s what consumers want. They’re hedging their bets. By not going hybrid, GM would be shooting themselves in the foot.”

The news came during an analyst conference call after GM released its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings earlier Tuesday morning.

During the detailed call with analysts, Barra outlined the steps GM has taken to fix its EV battery module production, how GM is working to fix software glitches on the Chevrolet Blazer EV that is in stop-sale status and GM’s plan to relaunch its self-driving car subsidiary, Cruise, after it halted operations following an accident between the autonomous vehicle and a pedestrian last October.

Barra also said GM is moving its annual Investor Day a second time from March to “later in the year” due to the changes that are underway at GM and Cruise. She said GM will be able to show investors “more tangible proof points” of its business model at that time. GM first postponed its Investor Day last fall, moving it to March, due to the UAW strike.

“This was the best GM conference call in years because it was realistic and they took ownership,” Ives said. “It’s a big step forward. There’s been some white-knuckle periods in the last few months and it feels like we’ve gone past that.”

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