The Silverado EV will share the same drivetrain and Ultium battery tech as the Hummer and Cadillac Lyriq. It promises over 400 miles of range and four-wheel steering. The regular version will have a glass roof that adds to the perceived interior space. There will be fleet variants for workplace buyers.

The electric Silverado is going to arrive well after the Hummer EV pickup ships this December, then, and months after the electric Hummer SUV, which is slated for early 2023.

Software is playing a key role in vehicles, managing electric motors and batteries, set-up and support for a wide range of functions such as autonomous driving, entertainment and navigation.

Automakers’ software capabilities have also been evaluated. This includes improving vehicle battery performance and strategies for gathering, interpreting and monetising data coming from cars. Presenting its long-term software strategy, Stellantis said it expected to have 34 million connected vehicles on the streets by 2030 from 12 million now.

U.S. electric car maker Tesla is seen to be leading in software capability, while legacy automakers are struggling to catch up. Among them, investors and analysts see Stellantis as lagging the likes of Volkswagen and General Motors in making investments in advanced technology.

Earlier this year Ford hired the former head of Apple’s car project, Doug Field, to lead its advanced technology and embedded systems efforts, while France’s Renault is teaming up with Google to help design its infotainment systems.

Stellantis said it aims to deploy three new technological platforms powered by artificial intelligence, to be named STLA Brain, STLA SmartCockpit, and STLA AutoDrive. Chief Software Officer Yves Bonnefont said these would “certainly” match competitors’ most advanced platforms. He noted:

“This is something that will put Stellantis among the leaders, if not the leader, in software and electronics.”

Investments for software development are included in Stellantis’ plan, announced earlier this year, to invest more than 30 billion euros through 2025 to execute its strategy. Bonnefont also commented that the group would move its vehicles from current dedicated electronic architectures to an open software platform, leveraging partnerships.

Stellantis has strategic partnerships with companies including BMW, IPhone maker Foxconn and Alphabet Inc’s Waymo.

Bonnefont said Stellantis are planning to finalise a joint venture with Foxconn to supply in-car and connected-car technologies across the auto industry. In relation to this, the group announced a preliminary agreement to create a second partnership with Foxconn to design a family of purpose-built semiconductors to support the carmaker and other customers.

“Ultifi is a big, big step in our software strategy. Today, cars are enabled by software, with Ultifi, cars will be defined by it.”

Last week, Alan Wexler, GM’s senior vice president of innovation and growth, announced that GM has a new business model that extends beyond the hardware of building cars, to become a software platform innovator. Wexler said GM’s vehicles will merely be a platform to deliver GM-developed software to offer consumers services beyond driving. Those services can then be used in their homes and other areas of their lives. Wexler called GM’s new business model, “a potential game-changer for delivering subscription services that create recurring revenue.”

Ultifi is the first step in GM’s new business model, Miller said. It builds on GM’s current vehicle intelligence platform (VIP). Think of VIP as a smartphone and Ultifi as the operating system that provides the functions.

Ultifi holds the potential for more cloud-based services, faster software development and new ways GM can increase customer loyalty. Said Miller:

“At our core, we’re going to make great cars, trucks and vehicles. What we’re talking about is adding a platform with Ultifi. (Customers) will love it when they buy it, but they’ll love it even longer as it gets better. When the next new thing comes out they can add it to their vehicle and not have to go buy a new car so this improves the relationship with them.”

Similar to software on a smartphone, Ultifi can provide regular updates and let customers choose from a variety of over-the-air upgrades, personalization options and apps.

For example, imagine a camera inside your car that recognizes your face and starts the engine for you. Or, the camera can detect if there’s a child in the back seat. Miller said those services would not be subscribed. Another example would be a weather forecast with the ability to close a vehicle’s windows if it’s parked in an area where it’s expected to rain, Miller said. Or an alert that warns drivers of specific icy spots on roads.

GM will open Ultifi up to allow third-party developers to create content for it and there will be the chance to add subscription offerings, for added revenue for GM. But Miller declined to say how much revenue GM expects it will generate. A GM spokesman said the automaker will discuss revenue in more depth next week, most likely at its Investor Day on Oct. 6. But Miller said GM will work out a revenue-sharing formula with third-party software providers, noting:

“They’re not going to come to our platform for free, but we’re not going to give up our platform for free either, so that’s a solvable issue we’ll address in the future.”

A customer will buy a car with Ultifi on it and then choose various plans with it or levels in terms of the number of upgrades they will get, the kinds of services and software or apps they want to access.