Electric Vehicle Boom Boosts Car Sales in the US

The rush to take advantage of the last days of the tax incentive for purchasing electric vehicles contributed in part to several players in the automotive industry achieving record sales in the US market last September.

Estimates from both GlobalData and Cox Automotive indicate that 1.25 million units were sold in the neighboring country in the ninth month of the year, representing an increase of between 5.5% and 6% compared to September 2024.

With these results, both analysis firms place the seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) at 16.4 million light vehicles, just above the forecast of 16.2 million that the two also agreed on.

Among the companies that best capitalized on the moment is General Motors (GM), the market leader in terms of delivery volume, which reported a 107% increase in electric vehicle sales during the third quarter, with a total of 66,501 units.

From January to date, the Detroit automotive giant delivered 144,668 zero-emission light vehicles, a figure that also represents a 105% increase and consolidated Chevrolet as the second brand in the niche after Tesla.

A key product in this impressive performance is the Equinox EV, whose third-quarter sales exceeded 25,000 units, a 157% increase over the same period last year.

In the first nine months of the year, the battery-powered crossover assembled in Ramos Arizpe accumulated sales of more than 52,000 units, making it the best-selling non-Tesla electric vehicle in the United States.

GM's total sales in the third quarter exceeded 710,000 units, while the figure for January to September is 2.15 million light vehicles, representing increases of 7.7% and 10.3%, respectively.

It should be noted that electric vehicles account for less than 7% of the US company's total volume, which means that the increase in demand for these models is only one of several factors that contributed to the result.

A similar case is that of Toyota, which ranks second in sales in that market despite having only two fully electric models, the bZ4X crossover and its luxury variant, the Lexus RZ, which it compensates for with a range of 28 hybrid models.

The Japanese automaker reported more than 185,000 deliveries in September, bringing the total for the third quarter to 629,000, while the cumulative figure for the year is almost 1,866,000 units.

These numbers represent increases of 14.2%, 15.9%, and 7.9%, respectively, compared to the same periods last year.

The company reported that 44.9% of the vehicles sold during the third quarter were electrified models.

The Tacoma has accumulated sales of more than 204,000 units this year, a figure that exceeds the 2024 data by more than 60%.

However, Toyota did not specify what percentage of this model, the only one in its catalog whose serial number begins with “3,” was sold with a hybrid engine.

Another company that reported good results despite a limited supply of electric models is Ford Motor Company, which sold more than 545,000 light vehicles in the third quarter, 8.2% more than in the same period in 2024.

The blue oval brand delivered just over 1.658 million vehicles between January and September, or 7.2% more than a year ago. However, only 242,000 of those units are electrified, or less than 15%.

Nevertheless, it has been a good year for the Mustang Mach-E. The electric pony recorded an increase of more than 50% in its third-quarter sales, while the cumulative figure for the whole of 2025 is almost 18% higher than last year.

Ford also highlighted in its report the performance of the Maverick, which not only reported record quarterly sales volume, but also that 60% of those who opted for the compact pickup are consumers trying a model from this brand for the first time.

Honda sold just over 105,000 units in September, while third-quarter volume exceeded 358,000 vehicles, representing slight declines of -0.4% and -2%, respectively.

Despite this performance in recent months, the Japanese company's cumulative sales for the year remain positive, with a total of 1.098 million units, including those from its luxury division Acura, representing an increase of 3.9%.

With these figures, Honda now ranks above Stellantis, which has sales of just over 928,000 units for the year, representing a decline of 6% compared to the first nine months of 2024.

The multinational reported double-digit sales growth of 16% in September, while third-quarter results, with more than 324,000 units sold, exceeded last year's volume by 6%.

Hyundai, on the other hand, posted its best-ever results for a month of September with 71,000 units sold and for a third quarter with 239,000 vehicles delivered. These figures represent double-digit increases of 14% and 13%, respectively.

Sales of electric vehicles by the South Korean firm in the last three months rose 100% compared to the same period last year, while in the case of hybrids, the increase was 48%.

From January to September, Hyundai delivered more than 678,000 units, representing an increase of 11%. This does not include sales from its luxury division, Genesis.

Its subsidiary Kia sold 65,000 vehicles last month, representing an 11% increase. With this result, its sales for the last three months totaled more than 219,000 units, the highest quarterly figure in its history.

In terms of cumulative volume for the year, the figure already exceeds 636,000 light vehicles, 8.9% more than in the same period last year and the highest since the brand entered the US market.

It should be noted that when taking into account the results of the Genesis brand, Hyundai already exceeds Nissan in total sales volume for 2025 by more than 25,000 units.

Similarly, when adding up this year's total sales between Kia and Hyundai, deliveries for both brands exceed those of Honda by more than 275,000 vehicles, which would place the South Korean duo in fourth place, behind only GM, Toyota, and Ford.

Nissan, for its part, is beginning to see the fruits of its restructuring and reported a 5.3% increase in third-quarter sales with just over 223,000 units, including those of its Infiniti subsidiary.

Sales for the first nine months exceeded 711,000 vehicles, representing a modest increase of 1.5%.

The Japanese automaker highlighted in its report the sale of more than 26,000 units of the Nissan Kicks, representing a 37% increase and the highest quarterly volume since its launch.

Total deliveries of the compact crossover exceed 76,000 units this year, a figure that is 47% higher than in the first nine months of 2024.

Mazda reported a 12.3% drop in sales in September, with just over 26,000 vehicles sold, while quarterly volume fell below 110,000 units, representing a slight decline of 1.4%.

The cumulative figure for the year is just under 320,000 units, a figure with which the Hiroshima-based automaker maintains its positive performance, registering a marginal increase of 2%.

Volkswagen ended the third quarter with sales volume of 87,705 units, representing a drop of 6%.

The total figure for the year is just over 247,000 vehicles, representing a drop of -10.5% and one of the worst results among high-volume brands in the US market.

In the premium segment, Audi recorded flat quarterly performance with sales of 46,758 vehicles, just six units more than in the same period last year.

Its total sales for 2025 exceed 128,000 units, which is equivalent to a decline of 8% compared to the first nine months of 2024.

The Q5 SUV remains the best-selling model of this Volkswagen subsidiary, with more than 32,000 SUVs delivered to date.

In other words, one in four vehicles sold by Audi in the United States is one of these models produced in San José Chiapa, Puebla.

However, this volume represents a drop of -17% compared to the sales figures for this model during the first nine months of 2024.

This performance contrasts with that of BMW, which delivered more than 104,000 vehicles during the third quarter, including its Mini and Rolls Royce brands, representing a 24.7% increase.

Similarly, its sales from January to date exceed 297,000 units, reflecting solid growth of 9.5% compared to the same period last year.

Among the Bavarian automaker's models, the performance of the 2 Series stands out.

The domestically manufactured coupe has accumulated sales of nearly 15,000 units this year, including those of the M2 sports variant, a figure that exceeds the result for the same period in 2024 by more than 42%.

What's Next

Several analysts agree that the dynamism of the U.S. automotive market has exceeded expectations despite the imposition of tariffs, largely because automakers have been able to minimize price increases.

However, it is difficult to determine how long this trend will continue.

S&P Global Mobility expects demand for cars to moderate toward the end of the year, given the current affordability issues for new vehicles, lower sales volume for battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and the economic slowdown expected in the coming quarters.

Its chief analyst, Chris Hopson, expects fourth-quarter sales to be lower than the strong results for the same period in 2024, closing the year with an estimated volume of 16.02 million units.

However, this view is not shared by Charlie Chesbrough, senior economist at Cox Automotive, who believes that third-quarter results were strong enough to warrant an upward revision of forecasts.

The analysis firm now places its forecast range for the entire year between 15.8 and 16.4 million, while increasing the base number to 16.1 million for full-year sales.