Shoppers are snapping up electric vehicles as time is running out on a big tax break for going green.<\/p>\n
At the Orange County Auto Show<\/a>, Corinne Lawson and her husband took a test drive in a glimmering white Mustang Mach-E, an all-electric vehicle made by Ford. <\/p>\n Lawson is looking to buy her fourth Mustang and \u2014 for the first time \u2014 is leaning toward a battery-powered one. The smaller motor makes it a more comfortable car for her family.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has a backseat for the grandkids,\u201d Lawson said, who lives in Tustin and is retired. \u201cThat might be enough to tempt me.\u201d <\/p>\n Interest in electric vehicles was high at the auto show, which opened Thursday and goes through Sunday. Potential EV owners lined up to get rides in the latest models. They have only days left<\/a> to take advantage of a tax credit that would save them $7,500 on a new EV and $4,000 on a used one. <\/p>\n The federal tax credit is set to expire Tuesday, in accordance with a new policy from the Trump administration. As the clock ticks, consumers and auto dealers have seen a jump in sales of new and used EVs. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re seeing a big spike<\/a> in EV sales,\u201d said John Sackrison, executive director of the Orange County Automobile Dealers Assn. \u201cThere\u2019s a window of time that\u2019s running out, and we know it\u2019s going to become more challenging for consumers to make the leap over to electric.\u201d<\/p>\n In May, before Trump moved to eliminate the tax credit, around 21% of new vehicles sold in Orange County were all-electric, Sackrison said. That number jumped to 25% in June after Trump targeted the credit, and again to 32% in July. <\/p>\n National sales of new EVs jumped 19% in July from last year, Cox Automotive said. J.D. Power predicted that nationwide EV sales will likely reach a record of more than 12% of car sales this month.<\/p>\n The rush to buy EVs also comes as Trump levies volatile tariffs on key trading partners, making cars and car parts from overseas more expensive. <\/p>\n At Cadillac of Beverly Hills, electric vehicles make up about two-thirds of new vehicles sold, said product specialist Naeim Nastar. The dealership has seen a \u201csignificant increase\u201d in electric vehicle sales over the past couple of months, he said. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re still selling gas cars, but most people who come in now are here to take advantage of the tax credit for electric,\u201d Nastar said.<\/p>\n On Instagram on Thursday, the Ocean Cadillac<\/a> dealership in Miami posted an ad promoting several of its electric models. <\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t miss out \u2014 the $7,500 EV Tax Credit ends this month!\u201d the ad said. \u201cThis weekend is your chance to save big.\u201d<\/p>\n