Toyota bucks the trend as new EVs drive growth — SkimNews
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- Toyota Motor North America sold 633,233 vehicles in Q3 2026, up 0.6% year-over-year, while GM's overall US sales fell 6% to roughly 671,000 vehicles as GM cited a smaller EV market and discontinued models.
- GM's Chevy Equinox EV sales plunged 92% to just 1,905 units in Q3 2026, down from more than 25,000 in Q3 2025, with GM's EV sales declining across the board outside of the new Chevy Bolt.
- Toyota's bZ ranked fourth among US EVs in H1 2026 behind the Hyundai IONIQ 5, Tesla Model 3, and Tesla Model Y, with nearly 25,000 units sold through September 2026 — ahead of the Equinox EV's 18,154 units over the same period.
- Toyota now offers three fully electric SUVs (bZ, C-HR, bZ Woodland) plus two Lexus EVs (RZ, ES), with the bZ starting at $35,000, and electrified vehicles accounting for 57.4% of Toyota's total Q3 sales volume.
- Toyota opened a 30,000-square-foot Battery Center of North America in Saline, Michigan to develop and test batteries for its next-generation vehicles.
- Lexus will launch its first three-row electric SUV, the 2027 TZ, later this year, with the Toyota Highlander BEV following in 2027.
Why it matters: Toyota grew US sales 0.6% in Q3 2026 to 633,233 vehicles while GM lost 6%, even after the $7,500 federal EV tax credit expired last September — a split that shows Toyota's $35,000 bZ and broader hybrid-plus-EV mix are absorbing budget buyers that legacy rivals like GM are losing as Equinox EV demand collapsed 92%.
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