Amid tariffs and ever-changing policies, 2025 was an eventful year for the automotive industry in the U.S., especially for EV automakers like Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA), Rivian Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN) and Lucid Group Inc. (NASDAQ:LCID). Let's take a closer look at how each company fared in 2025.



<h2>Tesla's Sales Remain One Of The Main Talking Points</h2>



Tesla's sales (or lack thereof) have been a mainstay for the automaker's year. The EV giant has reported consistent declines in sales this year, with the latest figures suggesting the company recorded a 23% drop in its U.S. sales during November, alongside a 48.5% decline in European sales during the month of October. Tesla's China sales also face a sharp YoY decline, with the sales deficit exceeding more than 125,000 units for the year.



According to official figures released by Tesla, for the first three quarters of 2025, the automaker delivered over 1.21 million units, which is an almost 6% decline from the previous year's total of 1.29 million units it sold. Here's a more comprehensive look at the automaker's annual delivery figures to date since 2019.



Tesla has also introduced multiple refreshed vehicles like the six-seater Model Y L, which was earlier a China-exclusive but is now reportedly targeting an expansion into Europe. The company's Model Y L has proven to be a popular choice in China.



The automaker's Cybertruck, on the other hand, has failed to live up to the hype, despite CEO Elon Musk's repeated attempts to tout the EV pickup as the automaker's best product, as well as a shift in marketing strategy to help accelerate sales growth.



<h2>Trump’s Shifting Policies, Valuation Growth</h2>



However, Q4 deliveries are expected to fall short, given the end of the $7,500 Federal EV credit and other anti-EV policy stances taken by the Trump administration, resulting in an industry-wide fall in EV demand. Despite the falling sales, Tesla is currently the most valuable automaker, with its valuation exceeding $1.6 trillion.



The valuation is significantly ahead of the combined values of competitors like Toyota Motor Corp (NYSE:TM), BYD Co. Ltd. (OTC:BYDDY) (OTC:BYDDF), Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) and General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM)



<h2>Rivian, Lucid Sales</h2>



Meanwhile, Rivian enjoyed a mixed bag sales performance this year. The automaker had a strong Q3, where it delivered over 13,702 combined units of the R1S and R1T vehicles.



However, earlier this year, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said that the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration could drive up vehicle production costs. Despite the uncertainty, Rivian has broken ground on a multi-billion-dollar EV plant in Georgia, which would be crucial for its under $50,000 R2 crossover SUV slated to release next year.



Lucid, on the other hand, reported record delivery and production figures in the third quarter, with the automaker delivering 4,078 units, as well as producing an additional 1,000 units for the Saudi Arabian market. Meanwhile, Eric Bach, Senior VP of Product and Chief Engineer at Lucid, also departed the company.



However, LCID fell to an all-time low recently, despite the launch of the Gravity Touring SUV on Thursday, launching it at $79,900 as a more affordable trim level in the Gravity lineup. Lucid also cut its production guidance for 2025 to a range of 18,000 to 20,000 from a firm 20,000 vehicles.



<h2>CEO Pay Packages Come Into The Fray</h2>



Both Tesla and Rivian introduced performance-based compensation for CEO Musk and RJ Scaringe, respectively, with Musk's trillion-dollar CEO award getting the approval from investors of the company despite significant opposition from shareholder advisors, as well as analysts.



Tesla also recently appealed to the Delaware Supreme Court to restore CEO Musk's previous $56 billion pay package. The court ruled in favor of the automaker, taking Musk's controlling stake to over 18.1% in the company. 



Rivian's pay package, while not as grand as Tesla's, could be worth up to $4.6 billion over the next decade, and incorporates both profit goals and more attainable stock price milestones than the previous plan.



<h2>Robotaxi Push Among Automakers</h2>



Meanwhile, the automakers are also pushing for deploying Robotaxis in the U.S., with Tesla announcing Robotaxi operations in Austin, where it is also currently testing driverless operations, as well as a ride-hailing service in California, where it recently registered over 1,655 vehicles.



Musk had earlier shared Tesla's goal of deploying enough Robotaxis to serve over half the U.S. population, but he backed off on the claims. Tesla is now targeting deployments across 8-10 major cities, as well as unsupervised Robotaxis in Austin by the end of the year.



On the other hand, Lucid earlier signed a deal with Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE:UBER) to deploy over 20,000 Lucid Robotaxis across multiple cities in the U.S. over the next six years, with operations kicking off next year in Las Vegas. Scaringe also shared that Rivian could possibly enter the Robotaxi race in the future if the market conditions demand it.



<h2>Self-Driving Exploits</h2>



With the advent of Robotaxis, companies like Tesla and Rivian are also flexing their autonomous driving capabilities. Rivian recently shared that the company would be offering its autonomous tech to customers. The technology would employ a LiDAR-based approach with the R2 Crossover SUV.



Rivian also shared that its AV tech would be available to customers for $49.99/month as a subscription or as a one-time payment of $2,500. Rivian's Universal Hands Free assisted driving system, according to the automaker, can drive on over 3.5 million miles of road across the U.S. and Canada if the “lanes are clearly marked.&#34;



Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) v14, on the other hand, has garnered praise among experts for its improvements over its previous iterations. The technology utilizes a vision-only approach to self-driving.



Tesla is also targeting the deployment of its autonomous technology in Europe, which was also confirmed by Dutch auto regulator RDW. The company is targeting a 2026 deployment of the technology.



However, the automaker currently faces a 30-day suspension on selling and manufacturing vehicles in California after a judge ruled that the company was misleading customers by employing marketing terms like FSD and Autopilot. The lawsuit was filed by the California DMV.



<h2>Tesla's Legal Troubles</h2>



Speaking of lawsuits, the year has also spelled legal troubles for Tesla. The automaker has been sued by customers and investors in countries like the U.S. and China, where owners sued the company for failing to deliver on FSD. It has also been sued for alleged racial bias against African-American workers at its factory in Fremont, which was dismissed by a court.



Tesla also faced a wrongful death lawsuit, where a court ordered the company to pay $243 million in damages following a 2019 fatal crash involving a Tesla Model S on Autopilot. The crash, which resulted in the death of Naibel Benavides Leon, a 22-year-old woman in Florida, occurred when the Tesla vehicle crashed into a parked SUV.



In a separate incident, another wrongful death lawsuit was filed against Tesla in New Jersey over a 2024 crash involving a Model S vehicle. The crash claimed three lives and the plaintiffs alleged that the crash occurred due to the car's &#34;defective and unreasonably dangerous design.&#34;



<h2>Looking Ahead</h2>



With Tesla's sales falling and the company shifting focus towards Robotics and AI, 2026 would certainly prove to be a pivotal year for the automaker. Rivian, meanwhile, touted its self-driving exploits and is focusing on expanding its lineup in the U.S.



Lucid, despite having highs and lows, will look towards the new year with the goal of bolstering its place in the EV sector and scaling production. All in all, 2025 proved to be an eventful year for the U.S.'s domestic EV trio. 



However, all three automakers will certainly be vying for the top spot in the sector and work towards achieving all the major milestones laid out for the next year. 



Check out more of Benzinga's Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.



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Photo courtesy: Shutterstock

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In 2025, the US automotive industry, particularly EV makers Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid, faced significant challenges. Tesla saw a decline in sales across the US, Europe, and China, despite introducing new models. Rivian had mixed sales performance and faced production cost concerns due to tariffs. Lucid reported record deliveries but cut its production guidance. Both Tesla and Rivian introduced performance-based CEO compensation. Automakers also pushed for Robotaxi deployment, with Tesla and Lucid making significant strides.

- In 2025, the U.S. automotive industry, particularly for EV makers like Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid, faced significant challenges, including declining sales and shifting government policies.  
- Tesla experienced a 23% drop in U.S. sales in November and a valuation exceeding $1.6 trillion, while Rivian and Lucid reported mixed performance, grappling with production and market competition.  
- Legal troubles also plagued Tesla, including lawsuits related to self-driving technology and wrongful death incidents, highlighting the complexities facing the EV sector moving into 2026.

2025 In Review: How Tesla, Rivian, Lucid Fared This Year