GM to take another $6B in EV charges

The auto giant in October booked $1.1 billion in write-downs and said it would end production of the BrightDrop delivery van.
Jan. 9, 2026
2 min read

Key takeaways

  • GM will take about $6 billion in Q4 EV charges as weak demand drives supplier settlements, asset write-downs, and a scaled-back EV strategy.
  • Production of the BrightDrop electric delivery van is ending, signaling slower near-term adoption of electric commercial vehicles for fleets.
  • GM expects more EV-related charges in 2026 as it renegotiates suppliers and navigates regulatory changes impacting emissions credits.
General Motors Corp.
696034f724f7e90a832a9c7e Gm Assembly Plant 1

General Motors will book roughly $6 billion of charges in its fourth-quarter results as executives continue to overhaul the company's electric-vehicle division.

The new write-downs will cover supplier settlements and contract cancellations, as well as asset impairments and other measures to reflect a smaller and weaker EV market. In October, GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra and her team said they would end production of the BrightDrop electric delivery van due to weak demand; they also announced $1.1 billion in third-quarter EV-related charges.

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On January 8, executives said 2026 is likely to bring more write-downs, albeit smaller ones, as GM renegotiates or cancels supplier agreements and adjusts to new rules.

“We expect to recognize additional material cash and non-cash charges in 2026 related to continued commercial negotiations with our supply base, which we believe will be significantly less than the EV-related charges incurred in 2025,” executives wrote in their regulatory filing. “In addition, proposed regulatory changes to the greenhouse gas emission standards could result in an impairment of our emissions credits, similar to the previous impairment we recognized related to our CAFE credits. Such charges may adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows.”

For more on GM's latest EV move, check out this story at fellow EndeavorB2B brand IndustryWeek.

About the Author

Geert De Lombaerde
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Geert De Lombaerde

Senior Editor

A native of Belgium, Geert De Lombaerde has more than two decades of experience in business journalism. Since 2021, he has written about markets and economic trends for Endeavor Business Media publications FleetOwner, Healthcare Innovation, IndustryWeek, Oil & Gas Journal, and T&D World. 

With a degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, he began his reporting career at the Business Courier in Cincinnati. He later was managing editor and editor of the Nashville Business Journal. Most recently, he oversaw the online and print products of the Nashville Post and reported primarily on Middle Tennessee’s finance sector and many of its publicly traded companies.

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