- General Motors sales were down 4.2% at the beginning of 2026.
- The company is still the number one automaker in the United States.
- EV sales are down, but GM is second only to Tesla.
General Motors reported total sales of 714,896 vehicles in the second quarter. That number is ahead of all automakers in the United States, but it is still 4.2 percent below 2025, when the Detroit automaker delivered 746,588 units.
Through the first half of 2026, GM has delivered 1,341,325 vehicles. This is 6.8 percent less than the 1,439,951 units shifted by the company in 2025 during the same period.
Although that’s not the only reason for the volume decline, GM says the lower sales numbers reflect the smaller electric vehicle market. Following the expiration of the $7,500 federal tax credit, the EV market saw a major contraction, especially for lower-priced models.
Of GM’s entire EV lineup, which currently consists of 11 models (except the discontinued BrightDrop), all but four have declined in sales compared to the second quarter of 2025 and the first half of 2025. These four include Cadillac Optic, Cadillac Vistic, Chevrolet Bolt and GMC Sierra EV.
| Sample | 2026 | 2025 | % Change |
| cadillac escalade iq/iql | 3,203 | 3,766 | -14.9% |
| cadillac lyrici | 7,578 | 9,317 | -18.7% |
| cadillac optic | 7,083 | 4,940 | 43.4% |
| cadillac vistic | 3,903 | 1,745 | 123.7% |
| chevrolet blazer ev | 3,166 | 12,736 | -75.1% |
| chevrolet bolt | 4,224 | 123 | 3,334.1% |
| BrightDrop 400/600 | 956 | 1,592 | -39.9% |
| chevrolet equinox ev | 16,249 | 27,749 | -41.4% |
| chevrolet silverado e.v | 3,672 | 5,439 | -32.5% |
| GMC Hummer EV (SUV/Pickup) | 3,601 | 7,987 | -54.9% |
| GMC Sierra EV | 3,044 | 2,773 | 9.8% |
GM’s EV slowdown
Even pinpointing these four vehicles has some outliers. The Chevrolet Bolt sold only 123 units in the first half of 2025, so it effectively dropped out of the market, leading to a huge drop in numbers and resulting in a 3,334.1 percent increase in sales compared to 2025.
Although not as notable, the Cadillac Vistic also launches in the second quarter of 2025, so its 123.7 percent gain can also be partially explained by the same.
Every other EV in the GM portfolio saw sales decline, with the Chevy Blazer EV recording the biggest loss of 75.10 percent. Chevy sold 12,736 electric Blazers in the first half of 2025, compared to only 3,166 so far this year. GMC Hummer EV (pickup and SUV) also saw a huge decline of 54.9 percent from 7,987 units in 2025 to 3,601 in 2026.
Just as there are outliers to GM’s EV sales growth, the BrightDrop EV delivery van has also appeared in declining data. The 400 and 600 models saw a 39.9 percent decline, which is expected considering GM will end production of this model in October 2025. Still, the automaker delivered 956 of its electric delivery vans so far this year, compared with 1,592 in 2025.
GM says it remains the number two EV seller in the US through 2026 with 56,679 units so far. That number is down 27,477 units (32.6 percent) from last year, and likely lags Tesla by a wide margin.
Motor1’s Opinion: The automotive industry is in an interesting place where rising gas prices would theoretically push buyers toward EVs, but there’s no incentive to make those models more affordable to buy. Even the cheapest new EV on sale, the Bolt, is struggling to sell in meaningful numbers. Meanwhile, Silverado sales are down 4.6% from the beginning of the year, but sales of the pricier Sierra are up a little more by 0.90%. The data is really surprising.
