For a short period of time, major automakers bowed to high-profile, "green" Democrats because it was trendy and scored major points with a certain population of Americans. GM was one of those, and largely supported an aggressive electric vehicle (EV) push, especially in the state of California, which aimed to ban gasoline-powered vehicles within a decade.

But according to the Daily Mail, America's largest automaker has apparently changed its tune. It's now urging its employees to lobby their respective lawmakers to vote against the idea of expelling gasoline-powered vehicles from California.

In an email to thousands of its salaried workers, the auto giant urged them to take action to help ensure that California doesn't go through with its insanely aggressive and unrealistic push to convert to all-electric vehicles within the next decade.

What's going on?

GM is only second in EV sales to Tesla, and is already changing course, politically, dialing in on the state of California's harsh and unrealistic emissions standards that do not match realistic market conditions.

"We need your help!" the email to GM employees began.

It added, "Emissions standards that are not aligned with market realities pose a serious threat to our business by undermining consumer choice and vehicle affordability."

The Daily Mail noted:

The email comes as California’s tough climate regulations face growing resistance. For years, the state has had a federal waiver allowing it to impose stricter tailpipe rules than the national standard.

That authority led to a bold mandate: by 2035, all new cars sold in the state must be zero-emission vehicles — either battery electric or hydrogen-powered.

The federal waiver California has had for years has now reportedly fallen under bipartisan scrutiny in Washington D.C. Couple that with the fact that EV sales figures are falling short, it's no wonder GM has taken such a sudden turn.

The large automaker has already walked back its previous remarks about converting to an all-EV future.

"Market realities"

The Daily Mail reached out to GM for further clarification.

"GM believes in customer choice, and we continue to focus on offering the best and broadest portfolio of vehicles on the market,' a company spokesperson reportedly told the Daily Mail.

They added, "GM has long supported one national standard and consistency in emissions regulations that are aligned with market realities."

It'll be interesting to see if other large automakers experience a similar shift in priorities.