General Motors Logs Drop in Third-Quarter US Vehicle Sales

03:19 PM EDT, 10/01/2026 (MT Newswires) -- General Motors' (GM) US vehicle sales fell in the third quarter from a year earlier, with the automaker saying Thursday that the performance reflected a "much smaller" electric vehicle market and discontinued models. Overall sales decreased 5.5% annually to 670,974 units in the September quarter. Sales fell across most key brands, led by a 30% slump in Cadillac, while GMC declined 4.7% and Chevrolet saw a 4.6% drop. Buick sales rose 7.9%. The company's top five best-selling vehicles -- namely Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and Chevrolet Trax -- continue to show "multiple years of growth" amid strong consumer demand, it said in a statement. General Motors shares were up 2.3% in Thursday late-afternoon trade. The stock has lost 3.1% in value so far in 2026. In the year through September, the company's overall vehicle deliveries in the US fell 6.4% year over year to about 2 million units, with Cadillac logging a decline of 25% and Buick falling 13%. Chevrolet and GMC are also down. "Our business is performing very well, the launch of our next-generation full-size pickup trucks is on track, and we are making investments in new vehicles, innovative technologies, and our US manufacturing footprint to drive our next phase of growth," said Duncan Aldred, GM president of North America. Separately, Stellantis (STLA) reported third-quarter US vehicle sales Thursday of 324,277 units, compared with 324,825 a year earlier. "Against a highly competitive industry backdrop, we delivered a disciplined third quarter," Michael Orange, head of US retail sales and network performance said. Last week, Cox Automotive said it expected new vehicle sales in the US to reach about 4.12 million units in the third quarter, down 0.7% year over year. The automotive services platform projected General Motors and Ford Motor's (F) sales to decline 5.2% and 7.1%, respectively. It forecast a 31% slump for Tesla (TSLA) and a 1.3% drop for Stellantis. Toyota Motor's (TM) third-quarter new vehicle sales in the US were seen rising 2.2% from a year earlier, according to Cox. The firm at the time increased its year-end outlook for new vehicle sales to 16.1 million units from 15.8 million. "We expected the market to decline this year due in part to the loss of EV subsidies and ongoing affordability issues, and those obstacles persist," Cox Senior Economist Charlie Chesbrough said Sept. 24. "Although high interest rates and high vehicle prices remain significant headwinds, record high stock markets and the wealth created is providing sales support." Price: 78.38, Change: +1.38, Percent Change: +1.79