Equinox EV Sales Fall 41%; Bolt, Cadillac Lift GM
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- Chevy Equinox EV sales plunged 41% in H1 2026 to 16,249 units, down from nearly 27,800 a year earlier, as updated rivals like the 2026 Toyota bZ and Hyundai IONIQ 5 (over 20,000 sold, up 9%) chipped away at its status as the third-best-selling EV in the US.
- GM launched the 2027 Chevy Bolt EV at $28,995 — undercutting the Equinox — and the new model added 4,224 units to GM's EV tally in H1, though its 262-mile range trails the Equinox's advertised 315+ miles.
- Cadillac logged its best-ever Q2 EV sales, with the entry-level Optiq up 43% to 7,083 units and the three-row Vistiq surging 123% to 3,903 units.
- Cadillac Lyriq remained the brand's volume leader at 7,578 units in H1, though that figure was down 18%; the larger Escalade IQ and IQL combined for 3,203 units, off 15%.
- GM's total US sales fell 4.2% in Q2 to 714,895 vehicles and 6.8% in H1 to 1,341,325, but the company blamed a smaller EV market, discontinued nameplates, and inventory constraints while its EV share rose to roughly 13.5%-14%.
Why it matters: The Equinox was GM's volume EV play, and a 41% H1 slide shows buyers are defecting to fresher rivals (Hyundai IONIQ 5 +9%) or trading down to GM's own $28,995 Bolt. The offset is real: Cadillac's Optiq (+43%) and Vistiq (+123%) absorbed demand at the premium end and lifted GM's overall EV share toward 14%.
