General Motors (GM) released Q1 sales results Monday, showing a promising kickoff to 2023, with EV sales reaching over 20,000 for the first time in a quarter. The automaker says it expects the progress to continue this year as it’s on track to build another 50,000 EVs in North America through June, with plans to double that in the second half of 2023.
GM releases Q1 2023 EV sales totals
At a tech conference in February, GM’s CEO Mary Barra claimed the company was off to a solid start to the year, saying:
We are different from the rest of the traditional OEMs, and this is our really going to be our year to demonstrate it.
GM’s Q1 sales results, released Monday, show the company is trending in the right direction, selling over 20,000 electric vehicles for the first time in a single quarter as it ramps production.
According to the release, Q1 was the third consecutive record quarter for the Chevy Bolt EV and EUV, selling 19,700 alone, up from 358 in Q1 2022 while the Bolt was recalled. Bolt production resumed in April 2022 and has since become a top-selling EV model for its affordability and functionality.
GM has two other fully electric models in the premium segment, the Cadillac Lyriq and GMC Hummer EV. Lyriq sales reached 968, while two Hummer EV pickups were sold in the first quarter.
The automaker expects the growth to continue this year, with Cadillac Lyriq deliveries rapidly accelerating and the Hummer EV pickup and SUV models being built and shipped from GM’s Factory ZERO.
In the first quarter, GM built over 500 BrightDrop Zevo 600s at its assembly plant in Ontario, Canada, as it works to develop its position in the commercial EV segment.
According to GM, Chevy Bolt EV and EUV production will reach 70,000 units in 2023 to meet the growing demand for affordable EV options.
The new Chevrolet Silverado EV WT edition will begin deliveries in late spring, with over 340 fleet customer orders already.
Electrek’s Take
After struggling in 2021 and early 2022 due to the Chevy Bolt recall, it’s good to see GM getting back on track with its third consecutive record quarter in EV sales.
At the same time, 20,000 EV in sales is a fraction of GM’s over 600,000 total sales, representing just over 3%, while many automakers are achieving double-digit and even 100% EV sales.
Rivian produced just over 1,000 EVs by the end of 2021 and plans to sell 50,000 units in 2023 after manufacturing 9,395 in the first quarter.
Compared to Tesla’s 422,000 EV deliveries in the first quarter, GM’s EV sales numbers look even more minuscule.
The automaker continues falling further behind as it announced plans to invest nearly $1 billion in V-8 engines earlier this year. V8 engines will not help GM build more EVs and surely won’t help close the gap with Tesla and other EV makers.
Hopefully, GM’s upcoming EVs launching within the next few years, including the Chevy Blazer EV, Chevy Silverado EV, and Chevy Equinox EV, will help the automaker accelerate its focus on zero-emission, fully electric vehicles.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
