Chevy Deletes 1LT Trim on Blazer EV, Report
A few days ago, we brought you news of the entry-level Blazer EV vanishing off the order sheet, a development caught by eagle-eyed fans and confirmed by General Motors. Now, the gearheads at Automotive News have learned the trim has been permanently deep-sixed for the 2024 model year.
This is significant since it marks the end of any chance the Mexican-built ’24 Blazer EV will be available in at least one iteration for around $45,000. That was the figure tossed out by execs when initial announcements about this rig were made approximately one year ago, a sum that would have at least kept the Blazer EV within reach of a wider swath of the buying public.
Instead, shoppers venturing into a Chevy showroom this autumn will be facing a $56,715 2LT with all-wheel drive as the least expensive option. A $60,215 RS all-wheel drive model is what The General is planning to launch with this summer, if you’re wondering. There is apparently a two-wheel drive 2LT in the hopper for next year, though its price has yet to be disclosed. Given traditional price premiums for AWD in both ICE and EVs, you gotta figure its sticker will certainly be over $50k.
An official platitude being mouthed by the company is that these pricing decisions will help prevent the Blazer EV from overlapping the Equinox EV, a type of ladder system that dates to the days of Alfred Sloan. If trims such as Premier or even High Country (hey, it’s on the Traverse) are affixed to the Eq then it could certainly have an asking price pushing $50,000 after options are added.
It's well within an OEM’s rights to reposition trim levels as it sees fit, of course, but shifting the Blazer EV even further upmarket in terms of price is not without its risks – especially with the affordable Bolt set to evaporate next year. Sure, that model is allegedly coming back but no timeline has been given as to a concept’s unveiling, let alone the car itself.
Chevy has been touting a $30,000-ish starting price for a base Equinox EV 1LT, a figure to which they will need to get close if they wish to aggressively grow their market share in this space. Here’s hoping the 1LT trim fares better in the hands of Equinox planners.
[Image: Chevrolet]
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Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.
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Don't you hate when you reserve a vehicle at a price and then tell you is $8,000 more expensive. I have a reservation for a Blazer EV in RS trim, at the time it was it was supposed to start at around $52,000, now the model I would want would be the RS RWD but that price is almost $62,000 to start, without options. So I'll guess I'll get another Model Y, a fully loaded Performance is $57,000 . Does the Blazer offer so much more than the Tesla to justify the extra money?, I don't think so. We may see a lot of Blazer on the lots like other manufacturers who refuse to lower their prices.
Stupid, for a brand that used to be one of the "Low-Priced Three" along with Ford and Plymouth, and sold tons of Biscaynes, Bel Airs, etc.