The news: General Motors is tapping the brakes on electric vehicle production just after posting its best-ever month of EV sales in August.
- The automaker plans to scale back output of the Chevy Bolt and two Cadillac models as the federal $7,500 EV tax credit expires at the end of this month.
- “It will take several months for the market to normalize,” wrote Duncan Aldred, senior vice president and president, North America, in a blog post explaining the move. In the meantime, GM aims to avoid overproduction, anticipating a “smaller EV market for a while.”
The context: EV policy has taken a U-turn this year with the shift from the Biden administration to the Trump administration.
- Republicans’ $3.4 trillion tax-and-spending bill eliminated the tax credit and scrapped penalties for missing federal fuel economy targets.
- It also weakened incentives for automakers to sell EVs, which had generated credits to meet those standards.
Despite those near-term speedbumps, GM remains bullish on the EV’s long-term potential and its own ability to expand market share, with Aldred citing a portfolio that spans affordable models like the Bolt, luxury Cadillacs, and the Chevrolet Equinox EV. He also noted that some competitors are scaling back, a shift that should help ease the glut of vehicles and steep discounts that have weighed on the industry.
Our take: GM revived the Bolt to fill an unmet niche: affordable EVs. While the GOP tax and spending bill may narrow that opportunity, strong consumer interest suggests GM can still carve out meaningful gains—if it delivers a compelling value-for-money proposition.