Chevy cancels entry-level version of Blazer EV as deliveries begin

Chevrolet has decided not to build an entry-level 1LT trim on the new 2024 Blazer EV, pushing the starting price of the electric midsize crossover above the $45,000 mark it originally was targeting.

A front-wheel-drive version of the Blazer EV 2LT, scheduled to arrive next year, will be the base model instead, Chevy said. Blazer EV shipments to dealerships began this week with an all-wheel-drive RS trim that starts at $60,215 including shipping.

The brand did not say what the new starting price for the nameplate will be. Chevy said last summer when revealing the Blazer EV that the fwd 2LT was expected to start around $47,595. A 2LT with awd will go into production this fall at a price of $56,715 including shipping, Chevy said this week.

The planned 1LT entry trim that was announced in July 2022 was to have started around $44,995, Chevy said at the time. A Chevrolet spokesperson told Automotive News that the brand envisions higher trim levels on the upcoming Equinox EV will meet the needs of potential Blazer EV 1LT buyers, and "it gives us room to position and market the vehicles without overlap." 

The awd 2LT comes with a 17.7-inch infotainment screen and an 11-inch driver information screen; heated steering wheel, front seats and side mirrors; wireless phone charging; AutoSense power liftgate; adaptive cruise control and other driver-assist technologies.

The awd RS has RS-specific grille and badging, gloss black trim, 21-inch wheels, a flat-bottom steering wheel and additional features.

Both awd versions arriving this year were EPA-rated as having 279 miles of driving range, Chevy said.

A rear-wheel-drive version of the Blazer EV RS will follow in the fall, with a Bose audio system and a GM-estimated 320-mile range, priced at $61,790 with shipping, the brand said.

A fwd variant of the RS will follow in 2024, Chevy said. The brand has not yet released pricing for the fwd RS but said a year ago it was expected to start around $51,995.

General Motors estimated the range on the fwd 2LT trim at 293 miles.

Chevrolet said an SS trim will enter production next spring — the brand previously had said it was slated for 2023 — and a police vehicle will arrive early next year.

A Chevy spokesperson said the Blazer EV is launching with "heavily equipped" trim levels and that the fwd version of the 2LT will offer different content and a lower price point than the awd version. On the gasoline-powered Blazer, awd is a $2,700 to $2,900 upcharge over fwd models.

Additionally, Chevrolet is planning two lower-priced electric vehicles: the compact Equinox EV slated to enter production this year alongside the Blazer EV at GM's Ramos Arizpe factory in Mexico and a next-generation Bolt EV. The current Bolt EV and EUV are built on GM's previous-generation battery architecture and will cease production at the end of this year, but GM CEO Mary Barra said on the automaker's second-quarter earnings call last week that the Bolt will be redesigned to use GM's Ultium battery platform.

The Blazer EV is eligible for the full $7,500 purchase tax credit on new EVs under the federal Inflation Reduction Act.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story misstated when shipments of the 2024 Blazer EV to dealers began.