GM Leads U.S. Sales in First Half of 2026 Despite Sharp Drop in EV Demand

General Motors sold 714,896 vehicles in the U.S. market during the second quarter of 2026, remaining the top-selling automaker overall despite a 4.2% year-over-year decline. Its cumulative sales for the first half of 2026 totaled 1,341,325 units, down 6.8% compared to the same period in 2025. The company attributed part of the sales decline to weakening demand for electric vehicles (EVs) in the U.S., particularly following the expiration of the $7,500 federal tax credit, which disproportionately impacted lower-priced EV models. GM currently offers or has discontinued a total of 11 EV models (including BrightDrop). Among them, only four—Cadillac Optiq, Cadillac Vistiq, Chevrolet Bolt, and GMC Sierra EV—recorded year-over-year sales growth in both the second quarter and the first half of 2026. The Chevrolet Bolt saw an extraordinary 3,334.1% increase in sales during the first half of 2026, largely due to an extremely low base of just 123 units sold in the same period of 2025. Similarly, the Cadillac Vistiq, which began deliveries only in Q2 2025, posted a 123.7% sales increase, also influenced by its initially small sales volume. Sales of all other GM EVs declined: - Chevrolet Blazer EV sales totaled 3,166 units in the first half of 2026, a 75.1% drop year-over-year. - GMC Hummer EV (combined pickup and SUV variants) sales fell 54.9%, from 7,987 units to 3,601 units. - BrightDrop electric delivery vans, which ceased production in October 2025, delivered 956 units in the first half of 2026, down 39.9% year-over-year. Despite the overall weakness in its EV segment, GM remained the second-largest EV seller in the U.S. year-to-date in 2026, with cumulative deliveries of 56,679 units—27,477 fewer than in the same period of 2025, representing a 32.6% decline and trailing far behind Tesla. In the internal combustion engine (ICE) segment, Chevrolet Silverado pickup sales were down 4.6% year-to-date, while GMC Sierra sales edged up slightly by 0.90%. Analysts noted that although rising gasoline prices theoretically favor EV adoption, the absence of purchase incentives has made it difficult to boost sales—even for the most affordable new EV models.