General Motors is seeing rapid growth in electric vehicle sales, driven by robust consumer interest in its premium electric Hummer trucks and SUVs. In the second quarter, GM sold a notable 4,508 electric Hummers in the United States, bringing it within striking distance of Ford’s flagship electric truck, the F-150 Lightning, despite the significant price gap between the two.
GM’s strong performance comes amid challenging market conditions for EV sales. According to recently released industry figures, GM was one of a few major automakers to report year-over-year growth in U.S. electric vehicle sales during the last quarter. Alongside the popular electric Hummer, the automaker sold 17,420 Equinox EV SUVs, 3,056 Silverado EV pickups, 6,549 Blazer EVs, 1,810 Escalade IQ EVs, and 1,524 GMC Sierra EV trucks.
GM also benefited substantially from its commercial electric vehicle subsidiary, BrightDrop, which sold 1,318 electric vans this past quarter—a significant increase from just 490 units in the same period last year. Overall, GM’s second-quarter electric vehicle sales surged 111% compared to the previous year, even as its older Bolt EV and EUV models move toward retirement. The substantial growth partly reflects the fact that several of GM’s electric models are recently introduced or entirely new to market.
In contrast, many of GM’s competitors have faced headwinds in the EV segment. Ford reported a noticeable 31% decline in its second-quarter U.S. electric vehicle deliveries, with sales losses driven primarily by drops in its commercial E-Transit vans and weakening demand for the F-150 Lightning. Ford did, however, see improved sales performance from hybrid vehicles, which rose more than 23% year-over-year.
At midyear, Ford’s overall EV sales stand at only 38,988 units, marking a nearly 12% decrease compared to last year’s first-semester figures. This slower sales trend unfolds despite aggressive pricing promotions initiated by Ford in reaction to looming auto industry tariffs proposed by President Trump. Ford’s EV lineup—including the Mustang Mach-E, first released in late 2020, and the F-150 Lightning, introduced in 2022—is struggling against fresher, more competitive offerings. Ford plans a revamped electric vehicle strategy, highlighted by an affordable electric pickup, but that model won’t reach consumers until at least 2027.
Other automakers have experienced similar challenges. Hyundai, previously a strong performer in the U.S. EV market, saw sales of its Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 drop by 12% and 8%, respectively, during the second quarter. Kia also stumbled, reporting notably declining sales for its EV9 and EV6 models. Even Tesla faces growing pressure, with market observers expecting similarly disappointing quarterly EV sales figures.
Ford’s challenges are especially pronounced for individual models: Mustang Mach-E sales dropped nearly 20% in the second quarter year-over-year, to just 10,178 units. Ford delivered only 5,842 F-150 Lightning pickups—a 26% decline—and sold a mere 418 E-Transit vans, a steep fall from the 3,410 units sold during the same period last year. Ford attributes the van’s sharp decline partially to timing, with significant fleet purchases occurring earlier in the calendar year.
A once-thriving EV market faces uncertainty amid the potential rollback of subsidies and incentives under the Trump administration, casting a shadow of uncertainty over automakers’ electrification plans. Against this difficult backdrop, GM’s strategy pivot—introducing highly desirable, premium-priced electric vehicles while bolstering offerings in commercial segments—has provided the company with a significant edge in an increasingly competitive environment.
