Chevrolet’s all-electric Blazer EV.
Scott Mullin | CNBC
Detroit — general motors The company is cutting the price of the new Chevrolet Blazer EV by several thousand dollars as it resumes sales on Friday after an 11-week hiatus to address a software issue.
Pricing for the current 2024 Blazer EV starts at $50,195, which is $6,520 less than when it first went on sale in August. This does not include his $7,500 federal tax benefit for which this vehicle is fully eligible.
GM halted sales of electric vehicles in late December after customers and media reported problems with the cars’ infotainment and charging systems, including an inability to charge batteries that could leave drivers stranded. did.
All of the issues affected the vehicle’s software and were fixed without making any physical changes to the vehicle, said Baris Setinok, GM’s vice president of products, software and services. Problems ranged from small bugs in the coding to the vehicle’s ability to communicate with certain public EV chargers.
“There is no one major root cause that causes all these problems,” Setinok said in an interview with CNBC. “It’s a combination of circumstances and rare cases.”
Former Setinok apple The executive, who joined GM in September, said many of the problems are “rare but still devastating.” Automakers have initiated sales suspensions to avoid problems for additional customers.
2024 Chevrolet Blazer SS EV.
GM
To find and address problems, GM conducted a “test matrix” of repeated code changes and tests, as well as physical road tests across the country, Setinok said.
“For us, it was more important to do it right than to do it fast. Doing it right and fast is of course ideal, but what is important is that we should rather take the time to pause and correct. “It’s about inflicting pain on people,” he said.
GM said the Blazer EV repair process helped enhance software quality validation testing for future vehicles.
No Apple CarPlay yet
In addition to fixing software issues, GM has added or changed several features following early customer feedback. These include customizable multi-color ambient lighting and improved driver information graphics including battery percentage display.
According to Cetinok, GM has no intention of bringing back Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on the Blazer or future vehicles. He argues that his GM programs, which can communicate with other parts of a vehicle’s internal systems, provide a better customer experience and more functionality than third-party add-on programs that are simply overlaid on the screen. .
Apple Carplay.
Source: Apple Inc.
“If you’re a company that’s deeply vertically integrated, meaning you’re actually developing hardware as well as software and services, you can create a more seamless experience,” Cetinok said. “Vertical integration is the best way to go.”
GM caused a stir last year when it announced that future EVs would not have the ability to incorporate smartphone navigation, music, and other functions into the car’s infotainment system.
Vertical integration is expected to allow GM to generate revenue from potential infotainment subscriptions and services. In October 2021, GM predicted annual software and services revenue of approximately $20 billion to $25 billion from an estimated 30 million connected cars by the end of this decade.
price reduction
The 2024 Blazer EV has a starting price of $50,195, which is $6,520 less than when it first went on sale in August. The more expensive “RS” model of the Blazer EV is discounted by $5,620, bringing it to a starting price of $54,595 with all-wheel drive and $56,170 with rear-wheel drive.
Additional pricing for other models, including equipment under $50,000, will be announced closer to vehicle launch starting later this year.
2024 Chevrolet Blazer SS EV.
GM
The new pricing is before the car receives a $7,500 federal tax credit as part of the Biden administration’s Inflation Control Act of 2022. GM changed its material procurement so that the car would be fully eligible for incentives.
“We are excited to once again make the Chevrolet Blazer EV available, this time with competitive pricing, enhanced features and functionality, and full sales tax credit eligibility. , we encourage you to visit your local Chevrolet dealership and test drive this great vehicle,” Chevrolet Vice President Scott Bell said in a statement.
Vehicle prices are one of several issues in EV adoption, which has been slower than many expected just a few months ago. The price reduction brings the vehicle closer in price to the gas-powered Blazer, which starts around $37,000 to $48,000.
