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GM’s Flirtation With EV Spinoff Follows Internal Talks in 2018

  • CEO Barra says nothing off the table when asked about spinoff
  • Shares of electric-vehicle makers soar as GM’s stagnate
GM’s modular electric-vehicle platform and Ultium battery system.Photographer: Steve Fecht for General Motors
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General Motors Co. is pondering a provocative move based on a predicament it has faced for years: Pure plays on electric vehicles are all the rage, while old-school auto manufacturing can’t get any love.

The idea -- to spin off GM’s electric-vehicle operations as a standalone entity -- was raised with Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra during the automaker’s earnings callBloomberg Terminal last week. It’s no wonder she voiced openness to the concept: People familiar with the matter say it was floated internally back in 2018.