- General Motors sales were down 4.2% to start 2026.
- The company is still the number one automaker in the United States.
- EV sales are down, but GM is the number two behind Tesla.
General Motors reported Q2 sales totaling 714,896 vehicles. That number leads all automakers in the United States, but it’s still a 4.2 percent decrease from 2025, when the Detroit automaker delivered 746,588 units.
Through the first half of 2026, GM has delivered 1,341,325 vehicles. That’s down 6.8 percent from the 1,439,951 units the company moved in 2025 during the same period.
Though it isn’t the sole cause for the drop in volume, GM says the lower sales numbers reflect a smaller electric vehicle market. Following the expiration of the $7,500 federal tax credit, the EV market saw a major contraction, particularly for lower-priced models.
Out of GM’s entire EV lineup, which currently includes 11 models (counting the discontinued BrightDrop), all but four experienced sales drops compared to Q2 2025 and the first half of 2025. These four include the Cadillac Optiq, Cadillac Vistiq, Chevrolet Bolt, and GMC Sierra EV.
| Model | 2026 | 2025 | % Change |
| Cadillac Escalade IQ/IQL | 3,203 | 3,766 | -14.9% |
| Cadillac Lyriq | 7,578 | 9,317 | -18.7% |
| Cadillac Optiq | 7,083 | 4,940 | 43.4% |
| Cadillac Vistiq | 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 EV | 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 Downturn
Even in pointing out these four vehicles, there are a few outliers. The Chevrolet Bolt only sold 123 units in the first half of 2025, so it was effectively off the market, heavily skewing the numbers and resulting in a 3,334.1 percent sales increase over 2025.
While not as noticeable, the Cadillac Vistiq also launched in Q2 2025, so its 123.7 percent gain may also be partially explained similarly.
Every other EV in the GM portfolio saw a sales decrease, with the Chevy Blazer EV posting 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. The GMC Hummer EV (Pickup and SUV) also saw a sizable 54.9 percent drop from 7,987 units in 2025 down to 3,601 in 2026.
Just as there are outliers for GM’s EV sales increases, the BrightDrop EV delivery van also stands out in the data for decreases. The 400 and 600 models saw a 39.9 percent drop, which is to be expected considering GM ended production of this model back in October 2025. Even still, the automaker delivered 956 of its electric delivery vans so far this year, compared to 1,592 in 2025.
GM says it remains the number two EV seller in the US for 2026 with 56,679 units so far. That number is down by 27,477 units (32.6 percent) from last year, and likely trails Tesla by a wide margin.
Motor1’s Take: The automotive industry is in an interesting place where rising gas prices would theoretically push buyers into EVs, but there are no incentives making those models more affordable to purchase. Even the cheapest new EV on sale, the Bolt, is struggling to sell in meaningful numbers. Meanwhile, Silverado sales are down 4.6% to start the year, but pricier Sierra sales are slightly up by 0.90%. The data is truly puzzling.
