General Motors’ newly released sales figures indicate that U.S. demand for its electric vehicles collapsed in the third quarter. The weakness contributed to lower sales across the company both during Q3 and over the first nine months of the year.
U.S. EV sales have fallen since the Trump administration eliminated the $7,500 federal tax credit last September. Even so, the scale of GM’s decline appears to have exceeded what the automaker could have expected.
Cadillac’s results provide an early indication of the downturn. Third-quarter Escalade IQ and IQL sales fell 29.2% to 1,604 units. Lyriq sales dropped 50.2% to 3,617, while Optiq sales declined 6.9% to 4,550. Vistiq deliveries fell 34.1% to 2,587 units. Overall, Cadillac sales declined 30% to 32,650 vehicles.
Chevrolet Takes a Hit
Chevrolet sales fell 4.6% to 437,321 vehicles. Blazer EV deliveries plunged 84.4% to 1,261 units, while sales of the discontinued BrightDrop 400 and 600 vans declined 43.6% to 1,344. The Equinox EV suffered the steepest drop, falling 92.4% from 25,085 units in Q3 2025 to only 1,905 last quarter. Its year-to-date sales are down 65.6% at 18,154 units.
Silverado EV demand has also weakened considerably. GM sold just 1,655 examples during July, August, and September, a 58% decline from 3,940 units. Year-to-date sales stand at 5,327, down 43.2% from the same period a year earlier.
GMC’s EV results were similarly weak. Combined third-quarter sales of the Hummer EV SUV and Pickup fell 72.9% to 1,423 units. Sierra EV sales also declined 50.8%, dropping from 3,374 to 1,661 vehicles. Total GMC sales fell 4.7% to 157,103 units.
GM sold 670,974 vehicles in the third quarter, 5.5% fewer than the 710,347 delivered in Q3 2025. Across the first nine months of the year, the company’s total sales declined 6.4% to 2,012,299 vehicles.
Several models did post stronger third-quarter results. Buick Enclave sales rose 3.4%, Encore GX sales increased 5.4%, and Envista deliveries climbed 18.4%. Cadillac CT5 sales were up 4.1%, Chevrolet Colorado sales rose 2.4%, and Corvette sales jumped 28.5%. Chevrolet Trailblazer sales increased 51.1%. At GMC, Acadia sales grew 7.7%, Canyon sales rose 17.9%, Sierra LD sales climbed 2.9%, and Yukon sales increased 8%.
General Motors sold 670,974 vehicles in the third quarter, down 5.5% from Q3 2025, with total nine-month sales falling 6.4%. Every GM electric vehicle posted a quarterly decline, including severe drops for the Chevrolet Equinox EV, Blazer EV, Silverado EV, GMC Hummer EV, and Sierra EV. Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC all recorded weaker EV demand, although several combustion-powered models gained ground.
Buick’s Chinese lineup is about to gain a smaller Electra GS plug-in hybrid, highlighting the kind of electrified sedan GM lacks in America.
Kia honored Rafael Nadal with a full-size EV4 GT sculpture made using clay from the courts where the tennis legend earned his “King of Clay” nickname.
Toyota is preparing a specially equipped bZ electric crossover for Waymo’s driverless ride-hailing fleet, with operations planned to begin in Japan in 2027 before expanding to the UK and other supported markets.
Nissan’s SEMA lineup now totals six concepts, led by an especially radical open-top Armada built for extreme off-roading.
Nismo Nick is bringing two radically different ladder-frame Pathfinder projects—the Trackfinder and Trailfinder—to SEMA in celebration of the nameplate’s 40th anniversary.