We’re constantly hearing about an EV downturn and how automakers are changing their electrification strategies because consumers aren’t consuming. And sure, sales of electric cars are down in countries like Germany, but in the US people are still buying EVs, and they’re buying more of them than they did 12 months ago.

EV registrations climbed 5 percent in October versus the same month in 2023, topping out at 101,403, according to data from S&P Global Mobility. And it wasn’t Tesla driving that growth, but legacy automakers.

Related: Global EV Sales Shatter Records In November Thanks To China’s Unstoppable Growth

Chevrolet’s EV sales jumped 38 percent to 6,741 helped by demand for the Blazer and Equinox, while Cadillac Lyriq registrations grew threefold to 2,489 and the Hummer shifted 1,015 electric trucks, four times as many as it did last October. 

Like the Equinox, Honda’s Prologue, which is built on the same GM platform and in the same Mexican GM plant, wasn’t available in 2023, but made its presence felt this year. It found 4,168 homes, only 12 fewer than Chevy did of its version. Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 facelift also gave its sales numbers the desired nip and tuck, boosting registrations from 3,555 to 4,485.

Although the overall number of EV sales is up, the rate of growth has slowed and some models registered fewer deliveries than previously. The Ford Mustang Mach-E, for instance, was down from 3,949 to 3,479 according to S&P Global Mobility’s spreadsheet and Rivian R1S sales dropped by more than 500 to 2,456. There are also fears that the EV segment relies heavily on tax credit availability to boost demand, and public interest could wane if Trump pulls the plug on the incentives when he takes office.

BEST SELLING EVs USA

Tesla’s registration numbers actually fell by 1.8 percent, and if you remove Tesla from the equation, EV sales increased not by 5 percent, but by 11 percent. And this isn’t a blip for Tesla: the automaker’s numbers have fallen in seven of the first 10 months of 2024, Auto News reports, and that’s despite the facelifted Model 3 and Cybertruck being new for this year. While the Model 3 gained ground, the Model Y fell back, sales tumbling from more than 25,000 to under 22,000.

But before anyone gets the idea that Tesla is falling behind in the EV race, we should make clear that it still outperformed the second best-selling brand’s EV models six times over. Or every single brand in the 2nd to 12th spots combined.

EV REGISTRATIONS USA

General Motors has released their third quarter results and investors were loving it as the company’s stock shot up nearly 10% to close at $53.73 per share. That’s nearly a 52-week high and the strong performance was fueled by an assortment of positive developments.

Jumping right into the numbers, the automaker reported third quarter revenues of $48.8 billion as well as a net income attributable to stockholders of $3.1 billion. This impressive performance pushed the company to raise their full year guidance as they’re now expecting diluted earnings per share in the range of $9.14 – $9.64, which is up from the previous estimate of $8.93 – $9.93. The company also expects their full year net income attributable to stockholders to be $10.4 billion – $11.1 billion, instead of $10.0 billion – $11.4 billion.

More: 2025 GMC Yukon Gets A Much-Needed Interior Overhaul And Beefier Diesel

In a letter to shareholders, GM CEO Mary Barra said they grew U.S. retail market share in the third quarter with “above-average pricing, well-managed inventories, and below-average incentives.” The executive also pointed to improved sales in China as well as continued progress on EV production and profitability targets. Speaking of the latter, she said “we are focused on optimizing our ICE margins and working to make our EVs profitable on an EBIT basis as quickly as possible.”

Since most of the financial stuff is a snooze fest, let’s look at some interesting tidbits. Among the key points GM wanted to hammer home was leadership in full-size trucks and SUVs. They’re “#1 in full-size pickups” and are enjoying the best year-to-date total sales since 2007. GM’s position is pretty dominant as they have a 44% share of the full-size truck retail market.

That pales in comparison to their commanding lead in full-size SUVs as the company controls 64% of the market. Their position is about to get even stronger as facelifted versions of the Chevrolet Tahoe / Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade will begin arriving at dealers in the fourth quarter.

The company went on to credit a fresh product lineup that has higher profit margins than their predecessors. These vehicles include the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain as well as the larger Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia. Consumers have also embraced the value-focused Buick Envista and Chevrolet Trax.

Barra went into more detail during an earnings call, where she said “We are on track to produce and wholesale about 200,000 EVs in North America this year and make our portfolio … profit positive this quarter.” She added the ICE-powered Equinox has been a hit as average transaction prices have shot up around $6,000 and the model is attracting younger consumers.

The executive also mentioned things are heating up on the Hyundai front as the two companies are making “good progress” on specific areas of cooperation. She went onto say they’re “nearing the completion of our first definitive agreement and we expect to have something to share soon.”

Hundreds of 2025 Chevrolet Blazer, Blazer EV, and Equinox EV models a part of a recall across the U.S. over a critical safety issue: doors that could unexpectedly open while driving or during a crash. Safe to say, having your doors swing open mid-commute isn’t exactly a feature anyone’s asking for. The good news? GM reports that none of these vehicles have left dealership lots yet.

GM has confirmed that the vehicles in question were fitted with door strikers sourced from Brano Group A.S., which were not properly heat-treated to meet the carmaker’s hardness specifications. The result? These strikers could crack under pressure, allowing the doors to swing open when you least expect it, significantly raising the risk of injury to anyone inside.

Read: 2024 Chevy Blazer EV And Other GM SUVs Recalled Over Unexpected Door Openings

A total of 731 vehicles in the U.S. are affected by the recall. That breaks down to 513 Blazers built between August 30, 2024, and September 6, 2024, 215 Blazer EV models from the same production window, and 3 Equinox EVs manufactured between September 4, 2024, and September 5, 2024. If you’ve got one of these on order, you might want to double-check that delivery date.

Chevrolet was first alerted to a potential issue on September 6, 2024, when a quality engineer at GM’s Ramos Arizpe plant in Mexico saw a door striker fracture during routine side door adjustment.

This isn’t GM’s first rodeo with faulty door strikers on these models. Back in late December 2023, the Blazer, Blazer EV, and Equinox EV were also recalled over the same issue. At the time, GM thought that it had purged all of the faulty door strikers from their supply. However, it turns out not all of the suspect stock was removed from a warehouse used by the Mexican plant, leading to the installation of several hundred faulty strikers in new vehicles.

Fortunately, GM is not aware of any field incidents related to the defect. None of the 731 affected vehicles in the U.S.—nor the additional 124 units in Canada and Mexico—have been delivered to customers yet. Dealers have been instructed to replace all four side door strikers and attaching bolts with new properly treated parts before these vehicles ever reach showrooms.