EV winners and losers: Tesla and Chevy gain, VW and startups retreat

Posted by Talbot Payne on April 21, 2026

Honda EV Hub: Honda has canceled Marysville, Ohio, assembly for its trio of planned EVs (from right to left): Acura RSX, Honda 0 Series SUV, Honda 0 Series Saloon sedan.

Honda EV Hub: Honda has canceled Marysville, Ohio, assembly for its trio of planned EVs (from right to left): Acura RSX, Honda 0 Series SUV, Honda 0 Series Saloon sedan.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

After a turbulent 2025, U.S. electric-vehicle market share stabilized in the first three months of 2026 at 5.8% — consistent with Q4 2025, the first quarter without government incentives ended by Congress and President Donald Trump. EV sales swings from the United States to Norway to China have consistently tracked government support, industry analysts say.

Even before the U.S. government pulled the plug on the $7,500 sales subsidy late last year — causing a brief, Q3 run to 10.5% market share — EV sales, as The Detroit News reported, had stabilized at about 8% of the market. Without the Damocles Sword of 2026 government EV mandates overhead, manufacturers are reassessing the EV market — or leaving it altogether.

Absent the threat of billions in state-and-federal fines, brands like Volkswagen, Honda, Ram, and Ford have dropped planned electrics. Meanwhile, mega-brands and luxury makers like Chevy, Toyota, Hyundai, Audi, BMW and Mercedes have stayed the course on parallel ICE/EV lines.

Perhaps a leading indicator of the electric market’s plateau is U.S. EV market leader Tesla, which while still dominating the segment, has canceled its iconic S/X models to focus on robots — whether robotaxi or humanoid.

Read full article here.

Comments are closed.