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GM becomes top automaker in the US, but its EV sales lag competitors

(Credit: General Motors)

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General Motors (GM) has announced its Q4 auto sales, showing that it has become the top automaker in the United States for 2022.

As General Motors has quickly fallen behind traditional and up-and-coming rivals alike regarding EV sales, specifically Tesla, Hyundai/Kia, and Ford, it has moved towards more electric models and production. As the company has become the largest auto seller in the United States, it has finally begun its electrification process with more gusto.

According to GM’s press release, the auto group sold 16,108 Chevrolet Bolts/Bolt EUVs, 86 Cadillac Lyriqs, and 72 GMC Hummer EVs. And while the company’s two newest offerings, the Lyriq and the Hummer, were far from volume sellers, its Chevy Bolt is quickly becoming the “EV of the people” as it is now one of the most affordable and popular offerings on the market in the U.S.

Other achievements noted on GM’s press release include becoming the #1 automaker for customer loyalty, maintaining its rank as the #1 pickup truck maker (combining sales of its pickup truck offerings) for a 9th straight year, and several achievements from its EV van subsidiary Brightdrop. The electric van maker increased its fleet sales by 101% in Q4 alone, marking the best year for GM commercial sales since 2006.

Overall, GM brands sold a combined 2.2 million vehicles in the U.S. in 2022, 623,261 of which were sold in Q4. The lion’s share comes from its popular Chevrolet brand, which sold 413,560 units in Q4, followed by GMC, which sold 143,645 units, Cadillac, which sold 39,135 units, and Buick, which sold 26,921 units.

GM also included details on its electric vehicles moving forward. “General Motors is a global company focused on advancing an all-electric future that is inclusive and accessible to all,” the press release begins. “At the heart of this strategy is the Ultium battery platform, which will power everything from mass-market to high-performance vehicles.”

The press release concludes the electric section by stating, “GM plans to build on this momentum in North America in 2023, growing EV market share with nine EV models on sale, including the Chevrolet Bolt EV and Bolt EUV, which was the bestselling mainstream EV series in the third and fourth quarter.”

GM plans to bring three new EV models to the United States in what it calls “the industry’s most popular segments.” This includes the Chevy Silverado EV pickup, the Chevy Equinox EV SUV, and the Chevy Blazer EV SUV. Furthermore, GMC will introduce a parallel full-size electric pickup, the GMC Sierra EV, while Cadillac will continue to electrify with its most expensive and luxurious model, the Cadillac Celestiq.

As General Motors takes a new position at the top of automakers in the U.S., some argue that they gain a unique responsibility to expand access to electric vehicles to the masses as quickly as possible. And while the company is introducing a series of new vehicles that average consumers can be excited about and even afford, now is the time for the General to put up or shut up.

What do you think of the article? Do you have any comments, questions, or concerns? Shoot me an email at william@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @WilliamWritin. If you have news tips, email us at tips@teslarati.com!

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Will is an auto enthusiast, a gear head, and an EV enthusiast above all. From racing, to industry data, to the most advanced EV tech on earth, he now covers it at Teslarati.

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Tesla to increase Full Self-Driving subscription price: here’s when

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla will increase its Full Self-Driving subscription price, meaning it will eventually be more than the current $99 per month price tag it has right now.

Already stating that the ability to purchase the suite outright will be removed, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said earlier this week that the Full Self-Driving subscription price would increase when its capabilities improve:

“I should also mention that the $99/month for supervised FSD will rise as FSD’s capabilities improve. The massive value jump is when you can be on your phone or sleeping for the entire ride (unsupervised FSD).”

This was an expected change, especially as Tesla has been hinting for some time that it is approaching a feature-complete version of Full Self-Driving that will no longer require driver supervision. However, with the increase, some are concerned that they may be priced out.

$99 per month is already a tough ask for some. While Full Self-Driving is definitely worth it just due to the capabilities, not every driver is ready to add potentially 50 percent to their car payment each month to have it.

While Tesla has not revealed any target price for FSD, it does seem that it will go up to at least $150.

Additionally, the ability to purchase the suite outright is also being eliminated on February 14, which gives owners another reason to be slightly concerned about whether they will be able to afford to continue paying for Full Self-Driving in any capacity.

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Some owners have requested a tiered program, which would allow people to pay for the capabilities they want at a discounted price.

Unsupervised FSD would be the most expensive, and although the company started removing Autopilot from some vehicles, it seems a Supervised FSD suite would still attract people to pay between $49 and $99 per month, as it is very useful.

Tesla will likely release pricing for the Unsupervised suite when it is available, but price increases could still come to the Supervised version as things improve.

This is not the first time Musk has hinted that the price would change with capability improvements, either. He’s been saying it for some time. In 2020, he even said the value of FSD would “probably be somewhere in excess of $100,000.”

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Tesla starts removing outright Full Self-Driving purchase option at time of order

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla has chosen to axe the ability to purchase Full Self-Driving outright from a select group of cars just days after CEO Elon Musk announced the company had plans to eliminate that option in February.

The company is making a clear-cut stand that it will fully transition away from the ability to purchase the Full Self-Driving suite outright, a move that has brought differing opinions throughout the Tesla community.

Earlier this week, the company also announced that it will no longer allow buyers to purchase Full Self-Driving outright when ordering a pre-owned vehicle from inventory. Instead, that will be available for $99 per month, the same price that it costs for everyone else.

The ability to buy the suite for $8,000 for a one-time fee at the time of order has been removed:

This is a major move because it is the first time Tesla is eliminating the ability to purchase FSD outright for one flat fee to any of its vehicles, at least at the time of purchase.

It is trying to phase out the outright purchase option as much as it can, preparing people for the subscription-based service it will exclusively offer starting on February 14.

In less than a month, it won’t be available on any vehicle, which has truly driven some serious conversation from Tesla owners throughout the community.

There’s a conflict, because many believe that they will now lose the ability to buy FSD and not pay for it monthly, which is an attractive offer. However, others believe, despite paying $8,000 for FSD, that they will have to pay more money on top of that cost to get the unsupervised suite.

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Additionally, CEO Elon Musk said that the FSD suite’s subscription price would increase over time as capabilities increase, which is understandable, but is also quite a conflict for those who spent thousands to have what was once promised to them, and now they may have to pay even more money.

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Tesla Robotaxi has a highly-requested hardware feature not available on typical Model Ys

These camera washers are crucial for keeping the operation going, as they are the sole way Teslas operate autonomously. The cameras act as eyes for the car to drive, recognize speed limit and traffic signs, and travel safely.

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Credit: David Moss | X

Tesla Robotaxi has a highly-requested hardware feature that is not available on typical Model Ys that people like you and me bring home after we buy them. The feature is something that many have been wanting for years, especially after the company adopted a vision-only approach to self-driving.

After Tesla launched driverless Robotaxi rides to the public earlier this week in Austin, people have been traveling to the Lone Star State in an effort to hopefully snag a ride from one of the few vehicles in the fleet that are now no longer required to have Safety Monitors present.

BREAKING: Tesla launches public Robotaxi rides in Austin with no Safety Monitor

Although only a few of those completely driverless rides are available, there have been some new things seen on these cars that are additions from regular Model Ys, including the presence of one new feature: camera washers.

With the Model Y, there has been a front camera washer, but the other exterior “eyes” have been void of any solution for this. For now, owners are required to clean them manually.

In Austin, Tesla is doing things differently. It is now utilizing camera washers on the side repeater and rear bumper cameras, which will keep the cameras clean and keep operation as smooth and as uninterrupted as possible:

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These camera washers are crucial for keeping the operation going, as they are the sole way Teslas operate autonomously. The cameras act as eyes for the car to drive, recognize speed limit and traffic signs, and travel safely.

This is the first time we are seeing them, so it seems as if Safety Monitors might have been responsible for keeping the lenses clean and unobstructed previously.

However, as Tesla transitions to a fully autonomous self-driving suite and Robotaxi expands to more vehicles in the Robotaxi fleet, it needed to find a way to clean the cameras without any manual intervention, at least for a short period, until they can return for interior and exterior washing.

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