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GM lists Chevy Bolt EV and EUV as ‘#1 mainstream EV series’ in Q4 and FY 2022 US sales report

(Credit: General Motors)

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General Motors (GM) has released its 2022 US fourth quarter and full-year sales report for the US, and in it, the veteran automaker highlighted some of its key milestones during the past year. GM deserves quite a lot of credit in 2022, considering that the American automaker was able to reclaim the US’ top spot in overall auto sales from Toyota Motor Corp, one of its strongest rivals. 

As per GM’s Q4 and FY 2022 US sales report, it was able to post a total of 2,274,088 sales in the United States in 2022. This corresponds to a 3% year-over-year rise. The company also posted a strong comeback in the fourth quarter, with US sales rising up 41% year-over-year to 623,261 units. Toyota, on the other hand, posted overall sales of 2,108,458 units over the year. 

Credit: General Motors

Considering its accomplishments, it was no surprise that General Motors listed several of its “#1” milestones in 2022. The company specifically listed some of the vehicles behind its “#1” accomplishments in 2022, such as the Cadillac Escalade, which was the number one large luxury SUV for the 9th straight year; and the Chevrolet Corvette, which was the number one luxury sports car. Interestingly enough, GM also listed the Chevrolet Bolt EV and Bolt EUV as the “number one mainstream EV series in Q3 and Q4.”

GM did not specify what it meant by “mainstream EV series” in its report, though it should be noted that the Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV’s Q4 sales of 16,108 units in the United States are quite conservative, at least compared to some of the country’s most popular battery electric cars. In the third quarter, for example, Counterpoint Research listed the Chevy Bolt EUV with a 4.8% sales share in the US, while the Tesla Model 3 commanded 20.4%.

GM did highlight that the Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV had their best sales year to date with a 53.5% increase to 38,120 units, but a notable part of this gain was likely due to the fact that the vehicle’s numbers were throttled last year due to a global recall. In a way, however, the Chevy Bolt EV and EUV did have a pretty impressive comeback story in 2022, considering the challenges GM faced with its battery issues that ultimately resulted in a production halt for the vehicle. 

Also, GM appears to have a lot of plans with its EV segment in 2023. These are listed below.

  • Chevrolet Bolt EV and Bolt EUV production expected to increase to more than 70,000 units this year to meet strong global demand
  • Three Chevrolet EVs launching in the industry’s most popular segments
  • Cadillac LYRIQ production continues to increase to meet strong customer demand
  • GM’s first Ultium-dedicated assembly plant – Factory ZERO in Detroit and Hamtramck – slated to resume production this month. GMC HUMMER EV SUV planned to launch mid-2023
  • BrightDrop Zevo 600 production is underway at CAMI, Canada’s first full-scale EV plant, with Zevo 400 manufacturing slated to begin later this year

GM’s Q4 and FY 2022 report can be viewed below. 

Q4 YE22 Sales Release 2 by Simon Alvarez on Scribd

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Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk says Tesla Cybercab future is ‘obvious to anyone with eyes and a brain’

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Elon Musk said the Tesla Cybercab will perform “a majority of all passenger miles” where it is allowed to operate and that point is “obvious to anyone with eyes and a brain.”

Musk used the point to double down on the company’s decision to ax the cult-favorite Cybertruck, as its production space will be removed and transitioned into additional Cybercab lines. The move has catalyzed a polarizing conversation on whether its right or wrong.

Whatever side you are on — it’s happening.

Regardless, Musk seems to be getting to the point that he is done talking about the choice. At some point, you have to think that this was truly a difficult decision for him and the company as well, and this is not something he took lightly. In fact, he’s probably a little bit disappointed with it, too.

But the point remains that the Cybertruck is gone. Musk’s focus is purely on developing an autonomous platform that the world will utilize for transportation, and he’s telling you that anyone “with eyes and a brain” can see it:

Tesla is betting that all of its passengers in the future will be okay with not owning their own personal cars and will be fine with ride-hailing for the rest of their lives. Every dinner, every errand, every trip to the airport and transportation thereafter, will all be operated by ride-sharing, and in Tesla’s perfect world, it will happen in a Cybercab.

As of now, Cybercab is only active in Austin, but it has been spotted all over the country with a driver behind the wheel in those prototypes. In Austin, the car has no steering wheel or pedals for people to control the vehicle.

The Cybertruck dilemma is one that has truly come across the entire Tesla community and while it seems to be a great idea to keep it because people love it, the business side of things is steering Musk and Tesla in another direction.

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Tesla slims Cybertruck offerings to only its most expensive trim

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Credit: u/dregonzz/Reddit

Tesla has slimmed its Cybertruck offerings to offer only its most expensive trim: the Cyberbeast.

After announcing that the Cybertruck would no longer be produced and the company would wind down manufacturing sometime in the middle of 2027, Tesla started to eliminate some of the configurations offered to customers.

Now, only one remains: the $109,990 Cyberbeast. This is truly what seems like Tesla’s last effort to deter any remaining orders from coming in: eliminate the cheap trims and leave only the high-dollar vehicle within the lineup of Cybertruck options.

Those who want to take advantage of this last-ditch opportunity to own Tesla’s symbolic pickup have to pay to play.

Tesla says the reason for the wind down is truly because of Cybercab and its importance to the future.

Despite cries for Tesla to continue production of the pickup, Musk says it is too difficult to ramp a high-volume line instead of ending the truck altogether. He also says Cybercab is what will take passengers around for the “majority of all miles in any jurisdiction where it is not prohibited by law.”

Tesla is going all in on autonomy, and that’s never been a secret. But the commitment to a two-door, two-seat Cybercab truly limits people from having options for labor or hobbies. It also limits people from having their entire family in a single car.

Parents with even a single child will be required to take multiple vehicles if Cybercab is truly the only option Tesla plans to have.

Elon Musk keeps justifying Tesla Cybertruck’s cancelation, but it’s confusing

Tesla has stated the Robovan will also be in production eventually, but it still does not seem like the most ideal vehicle to own. It seems like it is geared more toward commercial uses, but Tesla might have something in the pipeline for families.

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Tesla exec hints at a wild fix for Robotaxi’s biggest weather problem

Tesla VP Lars Moravy says focused lasers could keep robotaxi cameras clear instead of wipers.

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Tesla Cybercab in a rainy Austin, Texas rendering

Tesla may one day use lasers instead of wiper blades to keep its robotaxi cameras clear. Lars Moravy, Tesla’s Vice President of Vehicle Engineering, floated the idea in a new episode of Jay Leno’s Garage released Monday, where he and design chief Franz von Holzhausen walked Leno through the Model Y L.

“If you fire them in a focused area, you can clean the sheet of water and create a barrier,” Moravy said. “When you think about autonomy, it might be a good solution to only clean the area where the camera is.” He added that clearing an entire windshield would take too many lasers to be practical.

The comment brings back one of Tesla’s stranger patents. The company filed for “Pulsed Laser Cleaning of Debris Accumulated on Glass Articles in Vehicles and Photovoltaic Assemblies” in May 2019, and the U.S. Patent Office granted it in September 2021. An updated divisional version was granted on March 31, 2026. The system detects debris on the glass, identifies what it is, and pulses the laser at a calibrated rate so the beam never penetrates deeper than the glass itself. The filing names windshields, side windows, camera lenses and solar panels as possible targets.

Lasers were once rumored for the Cybertruck, which appeared at its November 2019 unveiling with no wipers at all. Tesla eventually settled on a single oversized blade, and Elon Musk admitted the wiper was the part of the truck that troubled him the most. That production line is now scheduled to shut down around mid 2027 to make room for more Cybercab output.

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What has changed since then is who is in the vehicle. A privately owned car has a driver who can notice a smeared windshield and do something about it. A Cybercab heading to its next pickup has nobody on board to check. Tesla has been chipping away at that problem with conventional hardware. Model Y Robotaxis in Austin were spotted with washers on their side repeater cameras in January, and a lens cleaning patent granted in May describes a fluid and wiper assembly for vehicle cameras and Optimus’ eyes. A laser would remove the fluid and the blades, both of which need regular replacement across a fleet.

The same episode gave Leno his first ride on Full Self-Driving (Supervised). The Model Y L pulled over on its own when an ambulance approached with its sirens on. “We got it on self-driving mode! I’m not touching anything,” Leno said. Moravy and von Holzhausen also explained that owners remain responsible while using FSD (Supervised), while Tesla takes responsibility for Robotaxi rides because it acts as the operator. Tesla launched the Model Y L in the U.S. in July at $61,990.

Moravy gave no timeline, and he described the laser setup as something Tesla is considering rather than a confirmed feature. The fleet it would serve keeps getting bigger, though. Tesla launched unsupervised Robotaxi service in San Antonio on Monday, its eighth city, and expanded its Austin service area to roughly 443 square miles on the same day. Several of those markets, including Houston, Miami and Tampa, see heavy seasonal rain.

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