ICE and Hybrid-Electric Propulsion Show Staying Power

As confusion and fear spread about constantly changing tariffs, a panel of automakers stressed flexibility at a WCX panel on the future of various propulsion strategies.

April 17, 2025

Kami Buchholz

The WCX 2025 April 10 propulsion panel, from left to right: GM’s Mike Anderson, Stellantis’ Micky Bly, moderator Hannah Lutz, Toyota’s Jordan Choby, Ford Motor Company’s Charles Poon, and Nissan’s Chris Reed. (Sebastian Blanco)

The internal combustion engine. Hybrid-electric. Full-electric. Plug-in hybrid electric. Pick one, two, or more for the product portfolio.

“We’re going to be very flexible,” Micky Bly, leader of Stellantis’ propulsion engineering team, said about the automaker’s move to multi-energy platforms during the closing panel discussion at WCX 2025 in Detroit this month. “I’ve been very vocal that I need more ICE capacity in our multi-energy strategy.”

Stellantis’ third scalable multi-energy platform – the STLA Frame unveiled in November 2024 – can underpin full-size body-on-frame pickup trucks, light commercial vehicles and SUVs. Vehicles riding on the STLA Frame can be powered by ICE, hybrid-electric, hydrogen, battery-electric or range extender EV technologies.

The all-electric 2025 Ram 1500 REV pickup truck and the 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger range extended electric pickup truck are the first vehicles to debut the STLA Frame. Stellantis unveiled its multi-energy platform for STLA Medium in July 2023 for cars, crossovers and SUVs in the C and D segments, and in January 2024 unveiled the STLA Large for cars, crossovers and SUVs in the D and E segments.

Propulsion versatility enables the automaker to address regional needs and wants around the globe. “South of the equator, we see ICE for a very, very, very long time,” Bly said. “We’re heavily investing in [the South American] market, which we dominate.”

The 2004 U.S. introduction of the industry’s first hybrid-electric SUV, the Escape Hybrid, was a technology stage-setter for Ford. “Having that hybrid foundation allowed us to lean very quickly into EVs as a lot of that technology is very transferable. Now, with the learnings that we’ve taken from our electrification work, we’re feeding that back full-circle into our hybrid propulsion system,” said Charles Poon, Ford Motor Company’s director of electrified propulsion, during the panel.

Hybrid vehicles accounted for approximately 40% of Toyota’s total U.S. sales in 2024. “For us, hybrid is a core, foundational block,” Jordan Choby, group vice president of powertrain for Toyota Motor North America R&D, said at WCX. In addition to hybrids, Toyota’s electrified propulsion system portfolio in the U.S. includes plug-in hybrid, fuel cell electric, and all-electric options.

In 2010, the Nissan Leaf grabbed the title as the auto industry’s first mass-market, mass-produced battery-electric car. Fast forward to 2025 and every major vehicle maker has an all-electric vehicle. Although vehicles produced by China’s BYD aren’t sold in the U.S., the automaker was the top seller globally of electrified vehicles – including hybrids, BEVs and PHEVs – in 2024.

“Would [BYD’s] products work in this market? I think the answer is absolutely yes,” Mike Anderson, General Motors vice president of global battery and propulsion engineering, said at WCX. “At General Motors, we’re ready to compete. We know what [BYD is] doing, and we know what we’re doing.”

GM ceased production of the Chevrolet Volt PHEV in 2019, but the automaker’s electrified vehicle portfolio will once again include a PHEV model in the future. Anderson said that PHEV technology is a “great long-term solution,” providing EV-only driving and ICE-only driving capabilities. “It’s more than a stopgap, it’s part of the family,” Anderson said about PHEV technology.

All automotive companies must address various operational impacts, including global regulations and economic influences like trade tariffs. The U.S. implemented 25% tariffs on imported vehicles on April 3, and tariffs of 25% on certain automotive parts are slated for May 3. There are also tariffs on steel and aluminum as well as reciprocal tariffs, even as automakers attempt to plan for the future. “Powertrain cycles are longer than Presidential cycles,” Toyota’s Choby said.