The Electric Chevy Blazer Begins Shipping. It’s an Important Car for GM.

A few model trims are shipping. Two trims, the 2LT and RS, are all-wheel drive. The 2LT gets an estimated 293 miles of range and starts at about $57,000 before any government incentives. The RS gets about 320 miles of range and starts at about $60,000.

For comparison, a
Tesla
(TSLA) Model Y base model, with all-wheel drive, starts at about $47,000 and gets about 280 miles of per-charge range. The long-range version starts at about $50,000 and gets about 300 miles of range.

The Blazer is a little larger than the Y and different trims have different features, but Tesla still looks to be a little cheaper. It wasn’t that way when GM launched its Blazer. It was cheaper, but Tesla cut Y prices by up to 25% in 2023. That’s made it difficult for all aspiring EV makers.

GM sounds confident though, telling Barron’s that customer reception has been strong without providing any order numbers.

The electric Blazer is also important because it extends GM’s EV lineup into a new segment. The GMC Hummer is a $100,000-plus behemoth. The Cadillac Lyriq is a little longer than a Blazer and a little more expensive. The Chevy Bolt is an older technology, less expensive EV.

The Lyriq is a modest seller. GM has shipped about 2,400 in the U.S. since its launch in a year ago. GM hopes the Blazer is a hit. An EV that can sell upward of 10,000 units a month would go a long way toward convincing investors GM can make the transition to an electric- and gasoline-powered car seller profitably.

The Blazer might not be it. GM sold about 33,000 Blazers in the U.S. in the first half of 2023. GM sold about 268,000 Silverado pickup trucks. GM is shipping the electric version of that vehicle in the second half of 2023. Electric Silverado demand will be important for investors to watch.

In 2024, the electric Equinox will ship. GM sold about 106,000 Equinox vehicles in the first half of 2023. That’s a higher volume seller. The electric version of the Equinox also will be important for the auto maker, and GM investors.

The best EV sellers in America are sold by Tesla. The Model Y sold about 200,000 units in the U.S. in the first half of 2023, or about 33,000 a month. That’s a huge hit.

Tesla is expanding its product line up too, shipping its Cybertruck in the second half of 2023. It will want that car to be a hit too.

It’s possible Tesla won’t mind if the Blazer sells well. It means more EVs sold faster in America. That’s good for Tesla, the EV leader.

GM stock was rising slightly Monday, while the
S&P 500
fell 0.04% and the
Dow Jones Industrial Average
was up 0.06%. Tesla stock rose 0.3%.

Write to Al Root at [email protected]