#evdemand

Stellantis isn’t ignoring EVs, but it isn’t ready to move on from internal combustion if that’s what its customers want. Company CFO Natalie Knight told WardsAuto that while the automaker’s upcoming EVs, like the Jeep Wagoneer S, could land first as electric-only, they could be revised later to include a hybrid or gas-only option if there’s enough demand.

Electric-only automakers are going through it right now. Tesla recently laid off 10,000 workers after posting disappointing first-quarter sales numbers, and now Rivian is slashing another one percent of its workforce after layoffs earlier this year.

Another day, another story of an automaker realizing that going all-in on EVs will take longer than expected. Ford and General Motors have both backtracked, saying they would produce more hybrids and plug-in hybrids to fill the gap left by wavering EV demand and now it’s Kia’s turn. The company recently announced that it would boost hybrid development to provide “maximum flexibility” to bolster what could be shifty EV demand in the short term.

While the future of electric vehicles in the United States is likely nowhere near as dire as many have portrayed, the current state of things hasn’t done much to inspire confidence. Flagging demand has led to cutbacks on new EV projects and investments in manufacturing facilities, and a recent Gallup poll shows that people who don’t already own an EV aren’t as interested in buying one as they were a year ago.

After facing significant challenges ramping up production and meeting customer demand for the F-150 Lightning, Ford recently announced layoffs that will drastically cut volume at its electric vehicle factory in Michigan.