Ep. 220: The Plot Twist You Didn't See Coming and Q3 EV Sales Surge

Holy Q3 Batman. According to Automotive News, EVs floored it with a 21% sales surge to 410,000 units, snagging 10% market share last quarter. Buyers dashed like caffeinated squirrels to hoard $7,500 tax credits before Uncle Sam yanked the cord. Meanwhile, Tesla's still the boss with 463,000 global deliveries, but growth seems to be idling like a Cybertruck in traffic. Enter GM's glow-up: 66,000 EVs sold—double last year—with the Equinox EV dethroning all non-Tesla vehicles. Ford's Mustang Mach-E revved up 50% to 20,000 sales and Rivian's cranking deliveries toward 15,000 vehicles, though tariff threats from China and expired tax credits might zap the momentum. But hold the phone. Dealers and execs braced for a sales cliff, but here's the plot twist: GM and Ford are flipping the script with slick leasing programs that stretch the credit's life. Their financing arms are fronting down payments on EVs to snag the $7,500 subsidy upfront, then passing the savings to lessees through lower monthly rates – keeping the party going for months. Ford's aiming to hold competitive leases via Ford Credit through December 31, while GM Financial is doing the same, buying vehicles in bulk to qualify before matching them with customers. It's a loophole love letter to EV adoption, potentially softening the post-credit hangover.______________________________Today's guest outro is "Surprise Me" by Zach Zimmerman YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3J60D-JPSM_______________________________Automotive News "GM sets record for EVs in Q3 as total U.S. sales rise 8%""GM, Ford work around EV tax credit expiration with Q4 lease programs"_______________________________Connect with Elena:https://evs4everyone.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenaciccotelli/Let's talk on X:https://twitter.com/EVs_forEveryoneAre you connected with the show on LinkedIn? https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-evs-for-everyone-podcast/________________________