- GM CEO Mary Barra said the company remains committed to the “future of electric vehicles.”
- GM had a record year for electric vehicle sales in 2025, falling in the fourth quarter due to the expiration of tax credits.
- The automaker may bring back hybrid cars in the future.
General Motors had to make many difficult decisions last year. After the Trump administration canceled the federal tax break of $7,500 and Significantly revised fuel economy rules To end the push for a mostly electric market by the 2030s, the automaker has scaled back its battery-powered ambitions.
The Orion Assembly Plant in Michigan, which was dedicated to producing electric vehicles only, It will now produce gasoline trucks. GM also sold its stake in Ultium Cells battery maker to LG Energy Solution, due to the potential for lower demand for electric vehicle batteries amid slowing sales.
Despite the tough calls, GM CEO Mary Barra sounded very optimistic about the future of electric vehicles while speaking at the Automotive Press Association conference in Detroit on Monday.
Photography: Kevin Williams/InsideEVs
“It will take longer without the incentives, but I still think we will get there over time,” Parra said. Reuters Reporter and APA President Kalia Hall, referring to the cooling period for electric vehicle sales following the end of the $7,500 federal tax credit last September.
“Once someone buys an electric car, they are 80% more likely to buy another electric car,” Barra said. “Our destination is to reach the all-electric future that we talked about.” She added.
Barra’s upbeat comments came just one day before President Donald Trump visits Michigan to speak at the Detroit Economic Club and visit Ford’s Dearborn assembly plant, where F-150 pickup trucks are manufactured. It was not immediately clear whether the president would address electric vehicles in his speech, but the Trump administration’s regulatory reset has been costly for the American auto industry.
Just last week, GM revealed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that pumping brakes on electric vehicles has led to… 6 billion dollars In associated fees in the last quarter of the year due to things like contract cancellation fees for suppliers.
Ford also faced a similar outcome, although on a much larger scale, as it booked more than $19 billion in fees to reduce its electric vehicle ambitions, which included ending production of the F-150 Lightning.
Stellantis said last week that it was eliminating its hybrid vehicles in North America, with the Jeep Wrangler 4xe, Grand Cherokee 4xe and Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid being discontinued. This is despite Jeeps being the best-selling hybrid electric vehicles of 2025, according to the research firm Frequent.
Photography: Patrick George
“I’m a little surprised some (automakers) are pulling back so quickly, because we don’t know what’s going to happen in 29, 30, 32,” Barra said, referring to a potential rebound in electric vehicle sales in the coming years.
Aside from the Corvette E-Ray, GM doesn’t currently sell any hybrids or PHEVs in the United States. But that may change in the future Car News I mentioned. “We have plans to do that, and we will have hybrids where we think we need them,” Barra said.
“But again, we are fundamentally investing and continuing to work on electric vehicles because we believe that is the end game,” she said.
Contact the author: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com
