Ford and Toyota Won't Like General Motors's Q2 Sales Results
General Motors had a lot to celebrate after Q2
Only three major automakers reported year-over-year sales growth in the U.S. during Q2, but their delivery percentage increases don't tell the entire story. Ford experienced the most annual gains during Q2 at 14.2%, followed by Toyota at 7.2%, and General Motors (GM) at 7%. While Ford and Toyota experienced higher year-over-year increases than GM, GM delivered more units throughout Q2 than either of these two companies.
During Q2, GM sold 746,588 units in the U.S., Toyota moved 666,469 vehicles, and Ford logged 612,095 sales. Growth in year-over-year sales remains a crucial metric among automakers, but quarterly numbers are especially relevant right now, given the market uncertainty introduced by President Trump's tariffs on vehicle and part imports. Duncan Aldred, GM senior VP and president of North America, said in a statement: 'The investments we have made in our crossovers, SUVs, and pickups—both gas and electric—along with great execution by our employees, suppliers, and dealers, have made GM the engine of growth for the U.S. industry this year.'
A closer look at GM's Q2 success
GM's electric vehicle (EV) sales rose by more than 100% during Q2 after it became the industry's second-highest seller of the segment last year. Cadillac proved to be intense competition for Tesla as the luxury EV market share leader in Q2. GM's Q2 crossover sales were up a record 16% during Q2 and 23% during the first six months of the year. The automaker also reported a 12% year-over-year sales increase for the first half of 2025, leading the U.S. industry in total and retail sales and outpacing the 4% total market growth estimate. Buick had the most significant first-half sales increase of any GM brand, up 29% with its crossover portfolio.
Chevrolet sales increased 9% during the first half of 2025, with its Equinox SUV leading the way and GMC boasting record Sierra pickup deliveries, placing GM on track toward its sixth year in a row as the industry's full-size pickup sales leader and its 51st year as the full-size SUV leader. While the fleet business decreased by 3% during Q1 and Q2, GM's fleet, Envolve, increased by 10%. In total, GM moved 1.4 million units during the first six months of 2025, with a market share of 17%, representing the industry's largest year-over-year increase.
Final thoughts
Q3 could allow GM's EV sales to make more headway as consumers rush to capitalize on the remaining federal tax credit that expires on September 30. GM's EV sales during Q2 were especially significant given that the overall segment declined annually by 6%. Stephanie Valdez Streaty, senior analyst at Cox Automotive, said: 'The year-over-year [EV sales] decline in Q2 was only the third decline on record, and a sign of a more mature market. The increase from Q1 may well be the start of a rush ahead of the federal incentive phase-out, offering a short-term boost in an otherwise uncertain landscape.' GM also announced in June that it's investing $4 billion in the expansion of gas truck and SUV production, allowing it to more readily meet varied consumer demand between internal combustion engines and electric driving.
Ford and Toyota Won't Like General Motors's Q2 Sales Results first appeared on Autoblog on Jul 21, 2025
This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Jul 21, 2025, where it first appeared.

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Dr. Furman, the economics professor, said she was acting appropriately in her role. 'You hear from the C.E.O., you don't hear from the chairman,' Dr. Furman said. As head of the board, he added, 'you're not supposed to be the face, but you're supposed to be a very, very key person in shaping the decision.' Steven Levitsky, a Harvard political scientist who has been sharply critical of the Trump administration and urged Harvard to fight back, said Harvard's leadership was perceived by many faculty members to be more attentive to donors and outside interests than to faculty and students. Still, he said, 'I don't think the federal government should be using its leverage to force out the leadership of a private university. That's authoritarianism.' Supporters say she brings her considerable business knowledge to the table, noting she rose to the top in male-dominated industries. Ms. Pritzker, who graduated from Harvard in 1981, is now the head of PSP Partners, a private investment firm, and she is worth $4.1 billion. Harvard's corporation is stuffed with eminent figures from Big Law, big business and elite academia. Perhaps not accidentally, however, the corporation's politics have shifted somewhat. This year, Kannon Shanmugam, who clerked for Antonin Scalia, the conservative Supreme Court justice, replaced Ted Wells, a lawyer and Democratic Party donor. So far the shift has not seemed to help Harvard's case. In recent days, the Trump administration has only escalated its attacks on the school. The fight with the Trump administration has convinced some people at Harvard that its governance model might need radical change. 'It might not be enough for Penny Pritzker to leave Harvard,' said Kit Parker, a bioengineering and applied physics professor on Harvard's Council on Academic Freedom, a group dedicated to supporting diverse points of view. 'It might need to be something much bigger,' he said. He added, 'It's hard to hold any one person responsible for what has happened at Harvard over the last 10 years.' Changing the board, he said, 'might be the one thing they can agree on without anyone losing face.' Kirsten Noyes, Susan C. Beachy and Sheelagh McNeill contributed research. Michael C. Bender and Stephanie Saul contributed reporting.