GM is putting the “Suburban” in Suburban Moms… 

General Motors dropped Q4 earnings this morning, and let’s just say Ford’s “Newman” just put Detroit back on the map. 

(Source: Giphy) 

“What’s good for General Motors is good for America” they all say. In short, GM printed $2.51 EPS vs. $2.28 expected, EBIT came in hot, and free cash flow stayed thick. Revenue technically dipped YoY, but nobody cared because the important part was this: the machine still prints money. In fact, Mary Barra, GM CEO, said 2026 should be “an even better year.” 

But the real story here is the part that had the market all horned up: capital returns. For context, GM raised the dividend (nothing crazy, just enough to keep boomers loyal) and then dropped the real headline: $6 billion in buybacks. Now why would they do that? Because North America margins are cruising back toward the 8–10% range, trucks and SUVs are still selling like cultural artifacts, and GM remains the undisputed king of “things Americans actually buy.”

(Source: Yahoo Finance) 

Full-sized pickups are having their best run in 20 years, and the all the mom car SUV’s your wife sends you tiktocks about (read: Tahoe, Suburban, and Yukon) are still printing suburban wealth. The result is GM is once again the top-selling automaker in the U.S. Aaaaaand then, there’s EV’s. Which is the red-headed stepchild of the report. 

Case in point: GM took another $6 billion EV charge this month. On top of the $1.6 billion from Q3. That’s $6.6 billion in write-downs for anyone still pretending this was all “going to plan.” EV sales absolutely faceplanted 43% in Q4. Of course, GM blamed a Q3 pull-forward before the tax credit expired, which is fair… but the larger truth is simpler: Americans like EVs in theory, and trucks in practice. That said, GM isn’t giving the “Cruise” treatment here. Instead they’re slowing down and managing the damage.

(Source: Chevy Equinox EV Forum) 

Because of this, GM is projecting EV losses to improve by $1–$1.5 billion, partly because they don’t have to buy emissions credits anymore LOL. Meanwhile, tariffs are still lurking like a jump scare. GM cut its 2025 exposure estimate (nice), but warned another $3–$4 billion could hit in 2026. Add FX and commodity headwinds, and suddenly the EV dream looks like a nightmare.

And yet, none of that scared the market. At the time of publishing, GM is absolutely ripping nearly 6% on the day… and the party doesn’t look to be ending anytime soon. Meaning, keep your eyes on GM throughout the day, and place your bets accordingly. Until next time, friends… 

At the time of publishing, Stocks.News holds positions in Ford as mentioned in the article.