GM is really destroying itself. They sold their European business some years ago and next year their joined venture with SAIC in China is going to end. So the US production is really all they have left and that market just hates EVs. So they probably fail the EV adoption and will last until some strong competitor enters the US market with good EVs. I am not just talking about the Chinese, but also European car companies have some decent offerings these days, with a much better home market.
The market doesn’t hate EVs, because otherwise Polestar didn’t be opening a plant in the USA to keep up with demand.
US EV market share is at 5.7%. That is low compared the rest of the world. Especially since the US is a rich country.
Because US EVs are pretty shit.
They’re either okayish but wayyy overpriced or just bad and still overpriced.
If BYD was allowed to sell there you’d probably see a huge jump in ownership.
US isn’t as rich as many think either - the oligarchy and corporations there are, the people not so much. It’s why car ownership in general is down there.
The sales-weighted average for new car sales in the US is $47k. That is a lot of money by global standards. Even in the US you can get something like the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6 for less then that and there are cheaper BEVs available as well.
Also car ownership in the US is insanely high.
Yes, it’s high because nearly everyone there has no choice. In many places there is essentially no public transportation at all or transport so bad as to be nearly useless.
Secondly, many of those cars sold are not sold with smaller short term loans these days but with 5+ year loans because people can’t afford even half the down payment anymore.
And lastly, the people most interested in an EV (especially now) are those looking to save money. To them the main appeal is not having to pay for gas. Yet American EVs are not priced at the same price as budget ICE and Hybrids.
Especially since the US is a rich country.
There’s basically no correlation between a country’s wealth and its EV uptake. High EV adoption countries include rich countries like Norway and poor countries like Nepal. Low adoption countries include rich countries like Japan and poor countries like Albania.
The ONLY thing GM does really well is fuckoff huge trucks… in the middle of a fuel crisis.
This plant made the Silverado and Hummer EVs. The two biggest, most expensive EVs, which are almost 10,000lbs and impossible to park. Detroit can’t get over the obsession with high profit tanks because Americans think bigger vehicles are worth paying more for.
That plan might have worked before Trump tanked the economy with tariffs. But, the last time GM just kept building drove them into bankruptcy.
The USA hates EVs and loves trucks because that’s what the advertisements have been telling them for 40 years.
Is Detroit becoming Detroit again?
When wasn’t it?
Heading towards bankruptcy?
For context, this sounds like they’re pausing production for the “body on battery” BT1 platform for their largest electric trucks (the Hummer and Silverado).
Their much more popular “skateboard” BEV3 platform is still selling at pretty good numbers with the Chevy Blazer and Equinox EVs, the Cadillac Lyriq/Optiq/Vistiq EVs, and the Honda Prologue EV and the last of the now-discontinued Acura ZDX badged with those brands (but ultimately running the same GM platform underneath). Plus the BEVII platform should be selling well again with the relaunch of the Chevy Bolt this year (after a 2 year hiatus).
Customer rejection of the largest electric pickup trucks shouldn’t be seen as a long term failure of EVs in the American market, and shouldn’t even be understood as a failure of GM’s ability to compete in the EV market. They’re selling over 150,000 EVs per year, and have a continued pipeline of new EVs coming, which is a lot more than most manufacturers can say (even including the traditional manufacturers that embraced EVs early, like VW and Hyundai and Nissan).
I still think buying a used Bolt '23 is the best purchase I’ve ever made in my life. I’m extremely happy to hear they’re producing more (even if it’s only the EUV variant). Charging infrastructure is slogging in many parts of the US, but I still think people should seriously consider getting one. Having to charge once a week cyclically is actually an enjoyable experience, I’m lucky enough to be able to do it while grocery shopping. For people who have a garage? Easy, just get a L2 charger and you’ll never have to worry about charging ever again. The only thing that remains is range anxiety, but I never plan on driving my car far out of the city I live in.
Awful timing
Probably because they keep advertising their own ICE cars over their EVs.
Sellers should be pushing and promoting EVs over ICE cars, as much as they’re pushing and promoting AI over traditional software, but the O&G industry is preventing it.
The plant, which produces vehicles including the Chevrolet Silverado EV and Hummer EV, has had choppy production over the last year as GM confronts waning demand for battery-powered models
I mean… maybe it’s not all that bad.
GM and Ford can’t go under soon enough.