Follow us today…
This is the last quarter for U.S. electric vehicle subsidies. Those shopping for EVs have had ample time to prepare, and we have been expecting a surge in deliveries during July, August, and September. The EV deliveries for July were a bit underwhelming, with EVs only adding 1% market share, but August looks like the biggest month ever for many popular EV models. Inexplicably, some brands and EV models underperformed.
General Motors Sees Big Gains In EV Deliveries
General Motors does not provide full model-by-model breakdowns of deliveries in between its very detailed quarterly reports, but August was just too juicy to ignore. GM offered a very upbeat press release that caught our attention and was the inspiration for this story. We requested a bit more data, and GM was kind enough to tell us that Chevy posted deliveries of over 8,500 Equinox EVs. That’s the model’s second consecutive month at that volume. This is huge news. Only two U.S.-market EVs have ever maintained a run rate over 3,000 units per month: the Model 3 and Model Y. If Chevy can join the high-volume EV club, that would be very good news for the U.S. EV market.
Overall, GM delivered just under 22,000 EVs in August. For comparison, Tesla delivers about 45,000 EVs per month in America (not globally, in the U.S., just to be crystal clear). While the gap is still considerable, remember that Tesla only has two successful models. By contrast, GM has four EV brands and a long list of models. Heck, GM has three EV trucks and nobody hates them (Cybertruck, that was directed your way). GM is making meaningful headway in catching Tesla and has a deeper bench.
GM is private labeling Honda’s only EV. Check out that brand’s section and you will se that GM is actually doing even better than its report may seem.
Ford Sees Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning Deliveries
Ford had a great month of EV deliveries. The Mach-E just had its best month. Deliveries were almost double the monthly average run rate of 2024. The Lightning also had a surge, up 21% compared to August 2024. Ford’s big news this month is its plan to dig in and fight for EVs with a whole new philosophy, but a bump in sales is always newsworthy.
Hyundai Surges, But It’s Almost All Ioniq 5
I tell anyone who will listen that, based on my testing, the best EV overall is the Ioniq 5 Limited. Apparently, others agree. The Ioniq 5 earned just under 8,000 units delivered in August. This is more than double its normal run rate. The Ioniq 6 is actually behind for the year, and the Ioniq 9 has settled in at a run rate of about 1,000 units pr month. Both the 6 and 9 were up in August, but a thousand units per month is nothing to trumpet from the rooftops.
Advertising
Honda (GM) Deliveries Jump
Honda delivered a whopping 9,347 Prologue EVs, and Acura delivered ZDX EVs in August. These are highly-rated models that Honda owners love. Behind the scenes, GM is the primary supplier for these two models. We’re happy to report any good news, but this bit is shared between GM and Honda.
Kia EV Deliveries
Both of Kia’s electric models, the EV9 and the EV6 had good months. Both were well above their monthly run rates. Kia punches way above its weight class in all regards, and its EV sales saw a nice bump in August. Kia delivered just under 4,500 EVs in August.
Subaru – New EVs Cannot Come Soon Enough
My family has owned six Subarus, and our newest (Crosstrek Wilderness) was purchased earlier this year. While we shopped, we noticed a long line of leftover 2024 Soltera EVs sitting unloved. The salesperson said they were trying to practically give away leftover ‘24s on leases. Still, they sat. Lonely. Next to new ‘25s. As a Subaru loyalist who has tested the Soltera, I get it. Decent car overall, but not a good fit for the Subaru family of vehicles, and frankly, not a very competitive EV. In August, Subaru delivered 1,466 Solteras. Last year, in August of 2024, Subaru delivered almost exactly that number (1,417). I’m willing to try the new Subaru EVs, and I hope they have spare tires, a trim with winter-rated tires, and standard amazing AWD. If they don’t, I’m not sure I understand what they are even doing in the Subaru lineup, other than satisfying now-forgotten EV mandates.
Here’s a Recap of the Bad News For EVs In America For August
Volvo doesn’t report U.S.-market by month and model, but did say in a report this week that its August global EV deliveries were down by a whopping 28%. Mercedes-Benz stopped shipping its EQ electric vehicle line in America in August. CarScoops is reporting that VW is laying off workers in its ID.4 plant due to low sales.
The best U.S. EV market share year or quarter in America was in the 8% range. This past August and the quarter ending September 30th should be the best ever. Will it top 10%? Tell us your prediction in the comments below.
P.S. – Wondering why there are no Tesla numbers here? It’s not an accident. Tesla obscures its delivery data by only reporting global numbers. We don’t have the resources to pore over 50 states and territories’ DMV data to count all the new Tesla registrations, but our bet is that Tesla delivered about 50,000 vehicles in August. The Tesla Takedown movement was a failure.
John Goreham is the Vice President of the New England Motor Press Association and an expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE int). In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on LinkedIn and follow his work on his personal X channel or on our X channel. Please note that stories carrying John’s by-line are never AI-generated, but he does employ grammar and punctuation software when proofreading and he also uses image generation tools.
Follow us today…
Source: torquenews.com
