General Motors drops entry

Jonathan M. Gitlin - Aug 3, 2023 6:35 pm UTC

Chevrolet has begun customer deliveries of its new Blazer EV crossover. Announced at last year's CES keynote alongside a new Equinox EV, the electric Blazer makes use of General Motors' new Ultium battery platform, albeit with styling cues that call back to the gasoline version. Now, Chevy has released pricing information for the 2024 Blazer EV, and if you were hoping for a 1LT entry-level trim, there's some bad news, as that option has been dropped entirely.

Originally, the 1LT was announced with a starting price around $44,995 and was scheduled for the first quarter of 2024. Now, the cheapest Blazer EV will be the front-wheel drive 2LT, although that version won't see showrooms until next year, and pricing won't be revealed until closer to that time.

Currently the Ramos Arizpe factory in Mexico is only building all-wheel drive Blazer EVs, and right now just in RS trim, which starts at $60,215. This Blazer has an EPA range estimate of 279 miles (449 km). That actually makes this Blazer EV more expensive than the entry-level Cadillac Lyriq—which starts at $58,590—an EV that has more range but also only a single electric motor driving the rear wheels.

This fall, the plant in Mexico will add another pair of trims to the mix. The cheaper of these is an all-wheel drive Blazer EV 2LT, which starts at $56,715. This rides on smaller wheels and does without some of the RS's options, like glossy black trim, heated rear seats, and a heads-up display.

The other trim being added this fall is the rear-wheel drive Blazer RS. Confusingly this apparently costs more than the AWD RS and starts at $61,790. But you do get a Bose audio system that the AWD does not get, and Chevy says it expects this trim to have a range of 320 miles (515 km).

Next year Chevrolet says it will start building the Blazer SS, a performance model (and Chevrolet's first performance-focused EV). Expect plenty of power: 557 hp (415 kW) and 648 lb-ft (878 Nm) are the goal. But the timing has changed for this trim to spring 2024. And early next year Chevrolet will also start making Blazer EV Police Pursuit Vehicles.

The loss of the cheapest Blazer EV is more evidence of the ever-increasing cost of EVs, something that has the potential to slow adoption if left unabated. GM told Automotive News that the more expensive versions of the Equinox EV (which is meant to start around $30,000) should fill the gap left by the removal of the Blazer EV 1LT.