An unfortunate thing happened when General Motors discontinued the Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV at the end of last year: its total electric vehicle sales cratered. It turns out that when you axe America’s most affordable EV, as well as the best-selling EV in your lineup, and your portfolio of new EVs is dogged by production and software issues, well… things don’t turn out so great.
Six months later, we might be seeing a very different General Motors. With little fanfare, the automaker just had its best month of all-electric vehicle sales ever in May, an outcome that would’ve sounded unfathomable not very long ago.
Are GM’s EV woes in the past?
Production of GM’s Ultium-powered battery cars hit several roadblocks in 2023, as did software issues that took one model off dealer lots for several months. Afterward, GM vowed to turn things around, and preliminary sales data indicates it may be doing exactly that.
“We’re seeing strong demand and increases basically across the board, in particular Cadillac Lyriq and the new Chevrolet Blazer EV,” Caldwell said in an email. “[The] Hummer EV is building volume, as is the Silverado EV. Initial deliveries of the new Equinox EV occurred at the end of May.”
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Unlike other automakers, GM has reported its sales figures quarterly instead of monthly for the past few years—hence why tracking down its past monthly EV record is tricky. GM officials declined to provide detailed information on EV sales for May. But Caldwell said that the newest quarterly figures will be released around July 2 as the second quarter of 2024 comes to a close.
Still, there are several interesting trends to parse here. As Cadillac’s global vice president John Roth told InsideEVs earlier this year, the Lyriq has had considerable “momentum” within the luxury brand, and it made up an impressive 17% of Cadillac’s total sales in Q1. The Blazer EV also went back on sale after a three-month hiatus following reports of software issues, including by this publication.
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If GM can keep delivering with this expanded EV lineup, it runs an extremely good chance of getting there next.
Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com
Credit : insideevs.com
