A dynamic year for American ENGS could set the tone for 2026

If you like both electric cars and roller coasters, 2025 was a great year. However, for those of us whose nerves have already kicked in enough, the high points of the past 12 months were hard to stomach.

In 2025, we saw the introduction of new, compelling models such as lucid gravity and the renewed nissan leaf, available at a competitive price. From a product availability perspective, only 2025 was the year the EV machine started to feel mature and understated.

But 2025 also saw a new height of anti-ev vitriol sparked during the current election cycle. The way you drove or the badge on the hood of your car suddenly became an indicator of your political affiliation. Simply put, the car you’re driving is now a political statement, and it’s the latest unprecedented in a long and difficult growing string of unprecedented events. Yes, it has been a long year, and with the despair of 2025 it will surely carry us into 2026, but not all hope is lost for EVS.

Tesla and the Doge effect

We’ve certainly seen some public CEOs in the past as Auto executives have a long history of mixing their corporate interests with their political affiliations. Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca was even considered the right person to be president once upon a time. However, we haven’t seen the kind of ass-kissing and cronyism we’ve seen in this fiery friendship between Elon Musk and President Trump.

Musk was (Hyper) active on the Trump campaign field, and wasted no time digging into what he described as excessive government. While the Department of Labor’s Department of Labor was confused, it certainly proved successful in ending the narrative of Tesla’s investors. Between January and March, Tesla’s stock price nearly halved. Things don’t turn around until musk is left in May.

Since then, Tesla’s price has returned to its pre-proposal levels. Its sales, however, were not. Q1 Deliveries fell 13 percent, then 14 percent in Q2. The retrenchment is back 7 percent in Q3 as everyone is designed to buy before the expiration of EV credits, but the profit is made by 37 percent. Tesla’s Market Share in the US electric car space has dropped, leading perennial pitchman Musk to start hawking everything from AI agents to spandex-clad robots – anything that should distract from the numbers.

And apparently it works. Musk’s $1 Trillion Pay Package was approved by Tesla shareholders without much concern. This could make him the world’s first trillionaire, but only if he meets a series of aggressive goals and sales deadlines, an area where the man has struggled in the past.

BIG, great sales spike

Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s Bromance wasn’t the only fallout from his second term. So, too, died the Federal EV Incentive, which expired in September as part of the President’s “Big Pirey”. ” That actually encouraged sales for a short time before the deadline. Many manufacturers even set new sales records riding the wave, but there is a nagging trough to come.

We still have to wait a bit to see how bad EV sales are, but the future indicators are not looking good. JD’s October report says EV sales in September were a record high, accounting for 12.9 percent of new vehicle sales in the US. In October, after the debt expired, they fell to 5.2 percent.

That’s a concern, and it affects product planning.

Cutting back on EV production

When I was in Japan last month, I looked ahead to some of the next interests – at Honda, I did not expect to hear the speech of the American Midterm elections from the company’s management. But that’s what CEO TOSHIHIRO MIBE had in mind. He watches American voting trends closely to determine the nature of the company’s future releases.

Mibe said Honda has already canceled plans for some EVS here in America, instead focusing on a wider selection of hybrid models. It is not the only company to do so. Ram also canceled its 1500 truck, but a hybrid version remains on the way.

Scout Motors, too, has been very focused on its extra-grade hybrid offering. The company’s first pitch was electric trucks and SUVs. Recently, it has been prioritizing its extended-range options based on feedback from the first 130,000 pre-orders. 80 percent of them want an onboard generator, an addition that proves the saving grace of this first book.

There is reason for hope

Some manufacturers may be scaling back their EV ambitions, but others are ahead. There’s a good batch of battery-powered devices coming next year, and that should be exciting.

Also, the nissan leaf must be the most popular choice as it is the production of its production. It’s already hitting dealers now, and with a starting price under $30,000, it’s going to be hard to beat. But, Chevrolet will try with a refreshing EV for the same price.

The more you have to spend, the more options you have. Stellar’s Stellar IX3 Stellar IX3 Crossever SUV is due soon, as are both the Cla electric sedan and the GLC SUV.

However, the most anticipated of the year, may be the RIVIAN R2. This electric SUV will join the Stellar R1s and R1T, expanding Rivian’s footprint while also hopefully reaching its market reach. The starting price of $45,000 makes it more affordable than any previous offering from the company.

If the prospect of a sweet, affordable SUV from Rivian isn’t exciting next year at EVS, perhaps some promising news from Europe. After cutting its EV renewal plan in 2023, German EV sales fell off a cliff, falling 28 percent in 2024. Ask many pundits for EVS execution predictions.

Since then, EV sales are slowly increasing, and later they are increasing, and they have the German Road Traffic Agency at KBA saying that the total number of newly registered vehicles increased by 50 percent in October (year on year). Electric cars now make up 19 percent of the market there, and despite Tesla’s sales.

There is no guarantee that the US market will follow a similar return, especially if the anti-eV political messages continue. I, however, have decided to remain optimistic, as exhausting as these days can be.