Equinox EV Sales Drop 41%, New Bolt and Cadillac Save GM
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- Chevy Equinox EV sales plunged 41% in H1 2026 to 16,249 units (down from roughly 27,800 a year earlier), losing ground to the refreshed 2026 Hyundai IONIQ 5, which moved over 20,000 units (+9% YoY) and the updated Toyota bZ.
- GM kept the #2 spot among US EV sellers as its overall EV market share climbed to roughly 13.5%-14%, helped by the 2027 Chevy Bolt EV contributing 4,224 units at a $28,995 starting price with up to 262 miles of range.
- Cadillac logged its strongest Q2 EV sales on record, with the entry-level Optiq up 43% to 7,083 units and the three-row Vistiq up 123% to 3,903 units, while the Lyriq slipped 18% to 7,578 and the Escalade IQ/IQL fell 15% to 3,203.
- GM reported a 4.2% drop in total Q2 US sales to 714,895 vehicles and a 6.8% H1 decline to 1,341,325, citing 'a smaller EV market, discontinued vehicles and some inventory constraints.'
- The Equinox EV still carries GM's 'America's most affordable 315+ mile range EV' claim, but the cheaper Bolt and Nissan LEAF are squeezing it at the low end while buyers needing more space gravitate toward premium SUVs.
Why it matters: The Equinox EV was GM's #3 best-selling US EV last year and the volume backbone of its EV lineup; losing 41% of H1 2026 sales while a cheaper sibling undercuts it below and the Hyundai IONIQ 5 (+9%, 20,000+ units) outsells it above shows GM's mass-market EV positioning is being squeezed from both ends.
