Getting a good glimpse of what Chevrolet has to offer for 2026, the Trax proves that a subcompact crossover might be cheap to buy, but it doesn’t have to look like it. Although economically sound starting at $25K, the Trax proves the automaker didn’t pull back on the reigns regarding style, technology, and perfectly balancing practicality with innovation.
Visually, my reviewed Trax welcomed the eyes with a recommended White Sands exterior strategically contrasting the jet black seats accented in red for a racing-inspired feel. Rolling on 19-inch black-painted machined wheels; flaunting LED headlamps and running lights; and a rear spoiler to flex a sporty presence, prospective buyers will immediately feel they are getting a big bang for their buck. Adding the optional power sunroof package including a wireless charging pad steps its game up even more.
The ECOTEC 1.2L turbocharged engine paired with a six-speed automatic transmission may not win NASCAR competitions peaking at 137 horsepower, but it does provide enough pep and efficiency averaging 30 miles per gallon combined. The StabiliTrak stability control system with traction control also improves the driving experience and boosts confidence in taking on various road conditions.
Chevrolet clearly showed love regarding comfort and connectivity inside the cabin. The 11-inch advanced color touchscreen provides the driver with a user-friendly command center in the cockpit, complete with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The remote start; keyless open and start; and a respectable six-speaker audio system are also generous appointments coming standard. Long distance excursions are easier considerations thanks to the eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar support, while passengers get pampered with the Evotex seating surfaces and heated front seats—a luxury rarely found in this price range.
Minds get more relaxed with Chevy’s Safety Assist suite includes forward collision alert, automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist, and front pedestrian braking. The optional Driver Confidence Package my car featured included rear cross traffic alert, lane change alert with side blind zone alert, and adaptive cruise control; these embellishments are more than ideal for new drivers, first-time car owners, and starting families.
With its three-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, five-year/60,000-mile powertrain coverage, and first maintenance visit included, Chevrolet is doing everything they can to assure their new Trax gets driven off sales lots nationwide.
Ultimately, the 2026 Trax will not be seen as a budget crossover, but instead one hell of a deal thanks to its style, workmanship, numerous appointments coming standard, and tremendous value. This new vehicle is a winner.
Fuel Economy: 28 city/32 highway/30 combined
Price: The 2026 Chevrolet Trax 2RS starts at $25,300 and $26,990 as reviewed with Sunroof and Driver Confidence Packages.
In 1916, just a year after it was introduced, the electrically equipped Chevrolet model 490 was available at Swasey & Dummer’s Sales and Service station on Merrimac Street, opposite Tyng Street. The price? $490, or $13,742 in current dollars.
It should not be so exciting to eat a breakfast quesadilla in your car.
But this quesadilla was from Wawa, this Wawa hosted a Tesla Supercharger, and this car was the 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EUV, hooked up to that Supercharger through an NACS/CCS adapter. More than a year after GM’s switch to NACS was announced, and following some Tesla internal chaos that made it seem like a dead deal, Tesla unlocked access to its conveniently placed EV charging stations to General Motors cars in late September. It wasn’t every Supercharger, but it was more than 17,000 spots, many in places that were previously dark zones in any road trip plan.
I bought my car knowing that road trips would be an infrequent but real inconvenience. With Tesla’s network available now, the anxiety of rolling the CCS dice in unknown lands has lessened considerably. To understand just how this feels, you must first hear about the Before Times.
Lots of Apps, Few Guarantees
I’ve had my Bolt for a little over a year now, completing four road trips that required DC Fast Charging (DCFC). “Fast” is a misnomer with the Bolt, the slowest-charging modern EV, forcing you to plan across battery levels, nearby amenities, pets, and guesses at crowd timing. Every night before a long ride, I’m pinching, zooming, and stressing inside A Better Route Planner, PlugShare, and Google Maps reviews, asking myself if a ChargePoint in a brewery parking lot will deliver 7 or 9 kilowatts per hour.
Despite all this groundwork, I have amassed an impressive collection of fast-charging scars in a year’s time:
Three different highway stops on Thanksgiving weekend with multi-car lines, endangering our pick-up time at dog boarding
An Electrify America station where a single car’s terrible parking made every other car occupy two working plug spaces
Excessive exposure to outlet malls, the EV honeypots with the most reliably working non-Tesla chargers
A single ChargePoint level 2 charger working (after a long delay) out of four in a hotel parking lot, the only charging spot on a vacation island.
A state-sponsored EV charging spot where two out of five plugs worked, then only one after a mid-charge failure, where a man heading to a Dave Matthews concert begged me to swap this last spot with him so his wife wouldn’t miss the band’s opening song.
It almost doesn’t matter exactly why or how a non-Tesla charger refuses to work. Damaged cables or plugs, busted screens, cellular data drops, app issues, electrical faults—whatever the reason, it will never get fixed in that moment by calling the support number, and now you need a backup plan.
This is how I think Supercharger access is most useful to us, the wretched of the EV earth: a robust backup plan for those tired of the alternatives. Plugging into the country’s most established network requires a none-too-cheap adapter (or finding a rare “Magic Dock” station). You have to find a way to connect a very short cable meant for a specific driver-side, rear-end location to your port. On the Bolt, that’s the middle-front-left, just ahead of the door, possibly the worst place for these cables. You can only charge at third- and fourth-generation chargers. And you have to pay whatever Tesla decides to charge us nonmembers, which is usually on the costlier side (I’ve paid $0.48 and $0.53 per kilowatt-hour).
No More Car Dealership Chargers
But it’s hard to argue with the locations and reliability of those bright red rectangles. On my most recent trip from Washington, DC, to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, I planned a longer charging stop on the way down at an EVgo in Williamsburg, Virginia, near a shopping plaza with a Target. This worked out because we needed some groceries for the trip. But only two of four chargers were working (after I wasted 5 minutes trying to make a green-in-the-app third station work). Had I wanted to save 11 minutes and up my chances a lot by having 12 stalls to pick from, I could have instead chosen a Tesla Supercharger farther down the road I was already on.
Tesla Superchargers tend to be located along highways, near places with restrooms or snacks or shopping, and the Tesla app seems to keep up on how many stalls are occupied and working. With every other network or multibrand app, you’re doing a lot of guessing, which is the bane of road-trip planning. What seems better: Hoping that the very fast 250-kW charger Plugshare shows at a car dealership is available at 9 am on a Sunday, or driving 15 minutes out of your way to a Walmart and waiting your turn? Follow-up question: Have you ever willingly spent 30 minutes at a car dealership when you already own a working car?
The Proof Is in the Plugging
This kind of thinking spurred me to try some Tesla charging on the way back. I bought an A2Z Typhoon Pro adapter, based on its solid reviews and fast shipping. It also cost notably less than GM’s $225 charger after a coupon code, the GM model was backordered into November, and Chevrolet’s app suggested I’d have to pick it up at a dealer. Before I could use any adapter, though, I had to find a spot. The spots are the hard part.
At my first stop, a Wawa, every other spot out of eight total was taken, and the one stall that lined up to the side of the car was occupied by a family that told me they would be there 50 minutes. I pulled up in an empty space, tried to stretch its cable, but it wasn’t even close. I pulled away, parked, and started looking for my next stop. Soon after, the father of the 50-minute family appeared in my window. I steeled myself for some kind of lecture, teasing, or maybe political discourse.
“You know, you could actually pull up, like, sideways, behind those plugs, and I think it would work,” the father said. He was right; there was nothing behind these Supercharger stations but more parking, and it was empty. I pulled up, plugged in the adapter (quick review: rock solid), pulled over the cord, opened the app, selected the station and charger number, and tapped. Less than 30 seconds later, the juice was flowing. No screens or two plugs sharing one power source, just power.
For 2024, Chevrolet presents the auto industry with an upgraded, refined version of their popular subcompact Trailblazer and they do a great job at it. Coming in four trims—LS, LT, ACTIV and RS—to fit every consumer’s needs. The Trailblazer is ideal for a starting family, a college graduate’s first car, or simply someone looking for great value in a five-passenger vehicle that’s prepared to take on some challenging terrains during adventures with confidence. Whatever the cause, this vehicle does not disappoint.
View of sunroof on 2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer ACTIV in Nitro Yellow Metallic. Preproduction model shown. Actual production model may vary. Available in fall 2023.
Reviewing the ACTIV version, the exterior of the review car was dressed in an attractive “Cacti Green” custom paint, and some head-turning refinements including slanted LED lighting, 17-inch wheels with black gloss complemented with sport terrain tires, roof side rails, a black mesh grille, dual exhaust, and an active skid plate.
The interior is also impressive. Entrants are welcomed to a jet black and Artemis color combination with Evotex seat lining to fight off any stains, and the recommended option—a dual-pane panoramic sunroof illuminating the spacious cabin providing ample legroom for everyone. Three of the four seats completely fold, and with the power liftgate included in the Convenience Package ($1,195), loading and capacity collectively earn the Trailblazer higher marks for cargo space in its subcompact segment.
Technology doesn’t cut corners either, with user-friendly controls making the upgraded 11-inch touchscreen and eight-inch digital instrument display a lot easier to operate. The ACTIV also comes with a generous list of standard accessories, such as keyless entry, push-button start, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, Bluetooth, wireless Apple/Android connectivity, and the myChevrolet mobile app to handle many of the car’s functions remotely. The optional equipment comes highly recommended as well, including the auto-dimming rearview mirror, a traditional 120-volt power outlet, two rear USB ports (a USB-A and USB-C), all-weather floor liners, plus the adaptive cruise control and BOSE sound system through seven speakers packaged together ($995).
View of front cabin in 2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer ACTIV with Jet Black with Artemis interior. Preproduction model shown. Actual production model may vary. Available in fall 2023.
Under the hood, the power is decent; the ECOTEC 1.3-liter engine tops off at 155 horsepower, and 174 lb.-ft. of torque. The all-wheel drive, variable automatic transmission (CVT), and nine-speed transmission provide perks top the driving experience, plus an extensive roster of safety applications we invite you to explore online (forward collision warning, lane-keep assist, automatic high-beam headlights, Teen Driver, parking sensors, and more) collectively provide extra value. While the Trailblazer may not challenge exotics on the Autobahn, the forgiving gas mileage averaging 27 miles per gallon makes up for it.
All in all, the Trailblazer is strong proof that Chevrolet is all about adapting to the current trends regarding technology, accommodating passengers comfortably, and making sure buyers get the most bang for the buck.
Fuel Economy: 26 city/29 highway/27 combined
Price: The 202r Trailblazer ACTIV starts at $28,700 MSRP. (The Convenience, Adaptive and Sound Packages, plus other options total $4,675)
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is firmly in former President Donald Trump’s corner politically, but what a potential Trump Administration could mean for the electric vehicle maker that pays Musk billions is unclear—even to Musk himself.
“I guess there would be some impact,” said Musk. “It would be devastating for our competitors, and it would hurt Tesla slightly.”
The CEO also noted that because Trump has promised heavy tariffs on vehicles produced in Mexico, Tesla would pull back on investing in a factory it had planned to open in Monterrey in 2026. “If that’s going to be the case, we kind of need to see how things play out politically,” he said. Yesterday, Musk denied reports that he would pump $45 million per month into Trump’s campaign.
Speaking on CNBC before the earnings call, Wedbush Securities tech analyst Dan Ives said that a Trump presidency could be negative for the overall EV market because Trump could eliminate the Inflation Reduction Act and with it thetax credits for EVs and certain plug-in hybrids. That would mean an administration under Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic party nominee, could be a positive for the EV industry.
Yet, Trump might be better for the regulatory agenda needed to promote full-self driving and autonomy, which is a key component of Tesla’s growth strategy, said Ives.
“Musk has been background noise under the Biden Administration and in a Trump administration, is that something that will be more front and center?” said Ives. “That’s why I would say Tesla is part of that Trump trade.”
Musk dismissed the notion that regulators might balk at a fleet of Tesla-made, self-driving robotaxis without steering wheels and pedals. An analyst asked Musk to explain why regulatory risk wasn’t an issue for Tesla, when General Motors had paused production of its Origin vehicle that doesn’t have a steering wheel, in favor of its Chevrolet Bolt, in part because of regulation. The Cruise Origin autonomous vehicle would need approval from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration because it doesn’t have traditional manual controls like a steering wheel and pedals, which are required by current safety regulations, and were written for cars with human drivers and not fully autonomous vehicles.
“The main reason with switching from the Origin to the Bolt is we extinguish the regulatory risk,” GM CEO Mary Barra said, according to a Reuters report.
“The real reason they canceled it is because GM can’t make it work,” said Musk, adding that the automaker’s technology “is not up to par.” He said blaming regulators was “misleading.”
Jim Cain, an executive director at GM, told Fortune Musk is flat wrong.
“All of those statements are categorically false,” said Cain, who listened to Musk’s comments during the earnings call. “The Origin vehicle faced a lot of hurdles getting certified because it doesn’t have a steering wheel, it doesn’t have a brake pedal, and it has a unique seating layout that requires a federal motor vehicle safety waiver—full stop.”
Cain said Cruise technology improves every day because of the way it leverages its data set with AI. “And so far, they have driven more than 5 million fully autonomous miles and Tesla has driven exactly zero.”
Musk has an unshakeable faith in Tesla’s power to “solve autonomy,” which he reiterated Tuesday, even as Tesla reported financial results showing net profits dropped 45%, marking its second quarter of sluggish growth and fourth straight quarter of falling quarterly earnings. Car industry data also showed that Tesla continues to lose popularity in California, where sales fell 24% in the second quarter. Meanwhile, Trump has pledged to end what he referred to as the “green new scam,” promising to abolish “the electric-vehicle mandate on day one.”
According to Ives, if autonomy is the strategic future of Tesla, it might be more beneficial for Tesla to have less regulation, which is likelier under a Trump presidency versus a Harris presidency.
“The cherry on top of what could be the sundae” for investors is how the company will impact the robotics market and its efforts on full-self driving and autonomy, said Ives. Ultimately, that’s how the company could potentially reach a $1 trillion or even $2 trillion valuation, he added.
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When it comes to driving a safe SUV, size matters, but some larger models offer more protection than others, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, or IIHS.
Case in point: the Jeep Wagoneer is the only one of three popular large SUVs to qualify for a 2024 Top Safety Pick award, which is one step down from its highest ranking, IIHS said Thursday in releasing new ratings.
The Chevrolet Tahoe and Ford Expedition, also bestsellers, fell short for reasons including subpar performance in the small overlap front crash test, the Arlington, Virginia-based nonprofit said. More than 90% of new models have sailed through the evaluation with good ratings since 2021, IIHS noted.
All three vehicles are designed to haul people and to tow boats and campers, yet none offer good protection for backseat passengers, an issue that kept the Wagoneer from earning the higher-tier Top Safety Pick+ award.
“The huge mass of these large SUVs provides some additional protection in crashes with smaller vehicles, though that also means they present more danger to other road users,” IIHS President David Harkey stated in a release. “The flip side of their large size is that there is a lot more force to manage when they crash into a fixed obstacle like a tree or bridge abutment or the barrier we use in our front crash tests.”
Good rating
The Wagoneer did a good job maintaining survival space for the driver and front passenger in the small overlap evaluation. It performed slightly worse in the driver-side test: slight intrusion in the footwell brought a modest risk of injury to the driver’s left foot and ankle, IIHS found. In both driver-side and passenger-side tests, the front and side curtain airbags prevented crash dummies’ heads from hitting the vehicle’s rigid structures.
“This recognition validates the dedication of our engineers, who integrated state-of-the-art technology in every aspect of the Wagoneer’s design,” said Bill Peffer, senior vice of Jeep North America, in a statement to CBS News. “The combination of a robust body structure and a comprehensive suite of over 120 standard and available advanced safety features, helps create a secure environment for drivers and passengers.”
Acceptable rating
The Tahoe maintained adequate survival space for the driver, but substantial risk of lower leg injuries. Performance was worse in the passenger-side test, with IIHS finding a high risk of injury to the right foot and moderate risk of injury to the passenger’s left leg.
“We are confident in the safety of the Chevrolet Tahoe that achieved a 4-star safety overall rating from NHTSA’s comprehensive New Car Assessment Program,” said General Motors spokesperson Bill Grotz in a statement provided to CBS News. “We value consumer metric ratings from IIHS and will look to incorporate these latest findings into our new vehicle designs.”
Marginal rating
The Expedition did not perform well in the tests of either side. In the driver-side test, the steering column partially detached from the instrument panel, and in both tests the A-pillar separated from the rocker panel. Excessive intrusion into the footwell contributed to a high risk of injury to the driver’s right leg and moderate risk to the left. Footwell intrusion was also seen in the passenger-side test to a lesser degree, IIHS found.
The vehicles were given varied ratings in other tests, including pedestrian crash avoidance. Front crash prevention systems in the Expedition and Wagoneer were given good marks, while the Tahoe was given a marginal ranking.
A Ford spokesperson provided CBS News with the following statement:
“Overall: The 2023 and 2024 Expedition meets or exceeds the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) regulatory requirements, and it is the only vehicle in the segment to achieve a five-star overall vehicle score in NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).
“For small overlap: Expedition is carefully designed to provide excellent protection for its own occupants and protection of occupants in other vehicles in multi-vehicle accidents, which were not replicated by the IIHS small overlap rigid barrier test. Designing SUVs in Expedition’s weight category to perform better in the small overlap rigid barrier test could potentially increase injury to occupants in lighter-weight vehicles involved in a crash.
“For moderate overlap: IIHS recently changed their moderate front overlap test procedure for the second row, however, Expedition received a “Good” rating in the previous moderate overlap test. We are always working to continuously improve, and we consider third-party feedback in vehicle development.”
General Motors and LG are establishing a $150 million fund to compensate Chevrolet Bolt owners after a faulty battery caused some of the electric vehicles to burst into flames.
The $150 million is part of a legal settlement between GM and Bolt owners who filed a class-action suit against the Michigan automaker in 2020 for allegedly selling them a vehicle with a defective battery. Bolt owners who installed special software that GM offered to fix the battery issue can receive $1,400 from the fund, according to court documents filed late Thursday in Michigan. Bolt owners who sold their car before that date, or drivers who leased the Bolt before then, are eligible for a $700 payment, according to the documents.
“GM, LG Energy Solution and LG Electronics have agreed to a settlement with plaintiffs to resolve class-action litigation related to the Bolt EV battery recall,” GM said in a statement on Friday. “As a result, Bolt owners who received a battery replacement or who have installed the latest advanced diagnostic software may qualify for compensation.”
GM partnered with subsidiaries of South Korea-based electronics company LG to create the batteries used in the Bolt, which debuted in 2015. In the following years, drivers noticed their cars would spontaneously catch fire, leading to owners to file complaints about the problel with GM and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
GM traced the fires to a manufacturing defect in the battery modules, which the automaker said caused a short in the battery cell. Some of the incidents took place in Bolts with battery cells made in South Korea, while other fires came from cells made at a LG plant in Michigan. In 2021, GM recalled all Bolts worldwide.
GM sold just under 25,000 Bolts in the U.S. before telling dealers to stop selling them. The company ceased production of the vehicle in December of 2023, a major financial and reputational blow for GM as automakers raced to enter the electric vehicle market. The automaker has spent $1.8 billion recalling the Bolt because of its battery issues.
The Bolt was one of GM’s first all-electric vehicles, second only to the Spark EV, which debuted in June 2013. Since then, GM has rolled out an electric Hummer, Chevrolet Silverado and Cadillac Lyriq.
GM has said it plans to stop manufacturing gas-powered cars by 2035 and will spend $35 billion to roll out more than 30 new EVs globally by 2025, including about 20 in North America. By the end of the decade, GM expects to generate $90 billion in additional annual revenue from EVs.
Khristopher J. Brooks is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch. He previously worked as a reporter for the Omaha World-Herald, Newsday and the Florida Times-Union. His reporting primarily focuses on the U.S. housing market, the business of sports and bankruptcy.
SAN FRANCISCO — Camaros are high on thieves radars’ right now in Northern and Southern California.
According to SFPD figures, there were 21 Camaro thefts reported in 2022, 46 in 2023 and 15 Camaro thefts so far in 2024.
According to Los Angeles police figures, there were seven Camaro thefts reported at this time in 2023. So far this year, 90 thefts have been reported.
Police often find stolen Camaros at illegal street takeovers or the thieves try to resell the cars.
“We quite often find them where they are turning around and posting them on social media to sell them – $40,000 – $50,000 car – to sell them for $3,000,” LAPD Sgt. Arnold Castellanos said.
Authorities say car thieves are able to start Camaros through key-cloning devices that simulate key fob technology.
“Many consumers have heard of the increase in key fob cloning and the theft of other kinds of vehicles,” said Carmen Balber, executive director of Consumer Watchdog. “We have seen this problem with other cars impact consumers’ abilities to get auto insurance.”
She says insurance companies can’t just increase prices overnight.
“They have to go to the insurance commissioner, prove that these thefts have, in fact, caused increased losses and get approval for any increase in prices,” she said.
Castellanos advice?
“Install some kind of kill-switch,” he said. “And install a second type of GPS tracking other products like LoJack and OnStar. Those will help us help find the vehicle.”
Balber says this should be a wakeup call to manufacturers, too.
“We can tell individual consumers, ‘oh there’s a flaw with your car, these are ways to try and get around and protect your car from getting stolen,’” she said. “But what we need is action higher up at the manufacturer level to make sure that it isn’t so easy to clone those fobs to begin with.”
Chevrolet is resuming sales of the 2024 Chevy Blazer EV following reports of major software issues, . The company says the malfunctions have been patched, thanks to “significant software updates.” To entice wary consumers back into the fold, Chevy has slashed prices on the vehicle. The sticker price has been reduced by $5,600 to $6,500, depending on the trim.
Here’s how that breaks down. The Blazer EV LT AWD now starts at $50,195, instead of $56,715. The RS AWD now sells for $54,595, down from the original MSRP of $60,215. Finally, the RS RWD goes for $56,170, down from $61,790. These prices all include destination charges.
Also, the 2024 Blazer EV line is eligible for that $7,500 federal tax credit. This lowers the price of the LT AWD to just $42,695 and can now be applied , so buyers don’t have to wait for a rebate check. If that’s still too rich for your blood, the Blazer LT FWD EV is still slated for release later this year. Chevrolet says it’ll start “under $50,000”, though exact pricing has yet to be revealed. If Chevy follows through with that pricing promise and it qualifies for the full tax credit, we could be looking at a real budget-friendly contender in the EV space.
However, the EV Blazer line has experienced months of bad press following last year’s software malfunctions, drive motor control failures to glitchy and blank infotainment screens. Who knows if the price cuts will be enough for people to forget that embarrassment. GM has said that it’ll be instituting these software fixes to other EVs under its umbrella, . Chevrolet’s parent company also owns Cadillac, GMC and Buick.
One thing is for sure. Despite proclamations that the there’s still a whole lot of curious consumers out there. Manufacturer Rivian by announcing a trio of new vehicles this week, racking up over 68,000 preorders in under a day.
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General Motors has temporarily halted sales of the brand new Chevy Blazer EV after some of the first vehicles shipped encountered a number of software problems.
The automaker told TechCrunch that owners are experiencing problems with the SUV’s screens, and with charging at DC Fast stations, confirming earlier reports from journalists who had access to review vehicles. GM said its engineering teams are “working around the clock” toward a solution and that when it has one ready, Blazer EV owners will have to bring their vehicles to a dealership for a software update.
GM also claimed a “limited number” of vehicles are affected but didn’t offer a figure, and that the problems are “not safety related nor related to Ultium or Google Built-In.”
The Blazer EV only just had its official launch a few weeks ago, but pretty quickly, two media outlets had big problems with their longer-term test cars. Kevin Williams at InsideEVs saw his Blazer’s infotainment screen go completely blank and unusable. Then he had problems charging the car, including an alert to have the vehicle immediately serviced, and was ultimately stranded mid-road trip.
It’s a bad start for a vehicle that’s supposed to be such a crucial piece of the Chevy lineup going forward. It sits above the entry-level Bolt but below GM’s pricier EVs like the Cadillac Lyriq. It’s also one of the first mass-market vehicles powered by GM’s new Ultium platform, which is slated to underpin an entire lineup of EVs with new electrical architecture, batteries, and software.
This story has been updated with more information from General Motors.
Chevrolet is experiencing its highest rate of loyalty ever at the moment, making it a great time to introduce new vehicles. The launch of the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV battery-electric sport utility vehicle (SUV) capitalizes on that timing.
SUVs are a 64-percent slice in the EV sales pie and Chevy expects that share to continue. The General Motors brand wants a large swath of current Equinox and Blazer gasoline drivers, as well as people driving competitors like the the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and others to convert to electric power without giving up the things they like about their current models.
The best thing about the 2024 Chevy Blazer EV is choice. Buyers are able to choose from a variety of trim levels, powertrains, paint colors, safety technology and comfort and convenience features in more combinations than the average EV allows. In this way, it’s very similar to a “normal” car.
Like many Chevrolets, the Blazer EV is offered in LT, RS and SS trim levels, each with a slightly different character. The LT features a monochromatic appearance and 19-inch wheels. The RS model gains black accents on the grille and elsewhere, along with standard 21-inch wheels. The high-performance SS model is the most aggressive with a third unique grille, two-tone color scheme with a black roof and 22-inch wheels.
2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV front view. The 2024 Blazer EV delivers either 288 horsepower, 340 horsepower or 557 horsepower depending on trim. General Motors
The all-wheel drive (AWD) Blazer RS EV is available now at dealerships nationwide. The Blazer 2LT AWD and RS rear-wheel drive will follow in the coming weeks. The Blazer SS and less-expensive front-wheel drive models will launch in the coming months, according to Chevrolet.
The new Blazer electric SUV is one of the few vehicles to be offered with all three options for drivetrain.
There are two battery sizes, 85 kilowatt (kW) and 102 kW, leading to ranges of 279 miles for all-wheel drive Blazers and 324 miles for rear-drive options. Chevrolet hasn’t revealed the range of the front-wheel drive model yet.
Blazer comes with an 11.5-kW onboard AC charging module for at-home charging and public charging. It has a high-speed DC public fast-charging capability of up to 190 kW, recharging 78 miles of all-electric range in about 10 minutes.
The front lighting conveys the state of charge while the vehicle charges. It increases in speed and intensity as the battery’s charge increases.
The 2024 Blazer’s cabin is huge with a massive trunk for cargo, even without the rear seats folded down. Those rear seats will also easily fit a 6-foot person behind another 6-foot person in front. Three child or booster seats could fit in the second row as well.
2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV rear three-quarter view. The Blazer EV comes with 21- or 22-inch wheels. General Motors 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV parked. The 2024 Blazer EV comes in LT, RS and SS trims. General Motors
The rocket booster theme is strong here, going even further than the Chevy Camaro with red accented, round climate vents with fluting that almost looks like fire. It looks especially cool with those accents in the sun where they reflect and shine a bit. The Blazer EV still has physical controls for climate and volume, though there are redundant and permanent climate icons the touchscreen too.
That central touchscreen infotainment system measures 17.7-inches and is connected to an 11-inch digital driver instrument cluster on all trims. A head-up display, the rear camera mirror surround vision, the auto sense power liftgate and heated wipers are optional. Google Built-in is standard but Apple CarPlay is not available.
One day of driving wasn’t enough to get used to the system, which doesn’t seems as straightforward as the Apple CarPlay interface but can be used with voice control. That big dual-screen setup is standard across the Blazer EV lineup.
The seats are perforated suede (in the rear-drive RS) or faux leather (in the AWD RS) and feature color accents either in the stitching or on the panels, though they’re surprisingly stiff for this type of vehicle. However, taller bolsters do help when winding through mountain roads at speed, keeping the driver firmly in place.
2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV interior. The 2024 Blazer EV comes standard with a 17.7-inch touchscreen infotainment system. General Motors 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV charging. The 2024 Blazer EV can regain up to 78 miles of range in about 10 minutes on a DC fast charger. General Motors
Super Cruise, GM’s hands-free, eyes-up assisted driving software will be available next year. The system is standard on the Blazer SS and optional on RS and LT models. Elsewhere in safety, the Blazer will also come with expected features such as emergency braking, forward collision alert, following distance indicator (which is more useful than it sounds), lane keep assist and departure warning.
2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV RS RWD Review
The Blazer EV RS with rear-wheel drive is the lineup’s middle model. It offers up to 340 horsepower (hp) and is expectedly quick from a standstill and plenty powerful when already cruising. But, both the brake pedal and regeneration are exceptionally heavy.
The regeneration is adjustable between off, low and high. The highest mode regenerates the most energy, but does throw the driver’s and passenger’s head forward when jumping off the throttle.
Tour, Sport, Snow/Ice and My Mode driving modes adjust the steering effort, throttle, brakes and Jetson’s like acceleration sound, though the suspension is fixed in each model.
Regardless, the Blazer EV is one of the more comfortable electric SUVs on the market today. Despite the 21-inch wheels, it thuds smoothly and quietly over small bumps and rolls completely over bigger potholes with those giant tires.
In Sport mode the rear-drive Blazer RS EV seems to love those twisting roads in the mountains near San Diego, especially alongside heavy regeneration. It allows a different kind of control than a standard two-pedal, gas-brake setup. A driver can accelerate hard around corners, and then pull back on the accelerator a little bit to slow for the next corner and then shove it back down for the next straight section.
Though heavy on the scales around 5,500 pounds, the Blazer feels lighter during spirited driving.
As with all EVs, the low center of gravity is key for handling. The Blazer is planted around curves and doesn’t lean. It also stays more level than expected when braking and accelerating hard.
2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV front three-quarter view. The 2024 Blazer EV offers space for five passengers. General Motors
2024 Chevrolet Blazer RS AWD Review
We also tested the all-wheel drive electric Blazer. Together the two motors deliver 288 horsepower and though it didn’t feel as quick as the RS RWD model, it was perfectly suited to getting up to and staying at expressway speeds. Chevy says the RS AWD model has a zero-to-sixty time of about 6 seconds, the rear-wheel drive RS hits the mark in 5 seconds and the forthcoming SS will go the same distance in under 4 seconds.
The 2024 Chevrolet Blazer RS all-wheel drive is on sale now for $60,215; the 2LT AWD, also on sale now, is $56,715 before destination and taxes, as well as EV tax credits. The front-wheel drive Blazer 2LT launches next year with a price less than $50,000, according to Chevy and the RS rear-wheel drive with the bigger electric motor is $61,790.
The Blazer isn’t one of the top sellers in the midsize segment, that space is occupied by the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Hyundai Santa Fe. However, being a recognizable name in a sea of new electric options might prove an advantage in the current climate, especially with its high brand loyalty.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Four popular pickup trucks do a poor job of protecting back-seat passengers in some crashes, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
For the 2023 model year, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 crew cab, Ford F-150 crew cab, Ram 1500 crew cab and Toyota Tundra crew cab all fell short in expanded tests conducted by the organization that assesses the impact of accidents on people seated in the rear when vehicles are struck from the side or front.
IIHS expanded the testing after research found that the risk of fatal injuries in newer vehicles is now greater for people in the second row than for those in the front. The front seat has gotten safer because of improvements in air bag and seat belts, which typically aren’t available in back.
But restraint systems in the rear are inadequate, according to the institute, a nonprofit organization supported by insurance companies that focuses on curbing injuries and deaths from vehicle crashes.
The F-150, Ram 1500 and Silverado are rated as poor in protecting rear passengers. IIHS rates the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 crew cab as “acceptable” in keeping back-seat passengers safe. All four trucks provide good protection in the front, the institute found.
For a vehicle to earn a good rating, crash tests must show there is no excessive risk of injury to the head, neck, chest or thigh of a person seated in the second row, IIHS said. Dummies used in the tests should also remain correctly positioned without sliding forward beneath the lap belt, which raises the risk of abdominal injuries, while the head should remain a safe distance from the front seatback.
“Like most other vehicle classes, large pickups don’t perform as well in the new moderate overlap evaluation as they do in the updated side test,” IIHS President David Harkey said Tuesday in a statement announcing the organization’s latest crash-test findings.
“We routinely consider third-party ratings and factor them into our product-development process, as appropriate,” said Eric Mayne, a spokesperson for Ram-maker Stellantis in a statement. “We engineer our vehicles for real-world performance. The protection of our customers is an integral part of the upfront design of a vehicle’s structure. Every Stellantis model meets or exceeds all applicable federal vehicle safety standards.”
Spokespeople for General Motors and Toyota did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for Ford could not immediately be reached.
After surging during the pandemic, traffic fatalities have declined in 2023, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Roughly 19,515 people died in vehicle crashes in the first half of the year, down from 20,190 over the same period last year.
The United Auto Workers union is poised to strike if a deal isn’t reached with Detroit’s Big Three automakers by Thursday night. Al Root, senior writer at Barron’s, joined CBS News to discuss how far apart both sides are and what the logistics of a strike for UAW could be.
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The front seats of a pickup truck are the safest place on the vehicle to be in the event of a collision.
That’s according to a new crash test designed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety to evaluate rear-seat passenger safety. Four out of 5 compact pickup trucks in the study earned substandard ratings. Just one truck, the 2022-2023 Nissan Frontier, clinched an “acceptable” rating.
“All these things tell us that the rear seat belts need improvement,” IIHS President David Harkey said in a statement. A high risk of head and chest injuries was behind the majority of the disappointing safety ratings.
The 2023 Nissan Frontier was the only truck (along with the 2022 model) to clinch an “acceptable” rating in a new crash test designed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety to evaluate rear-seat passenger safety.
Nissan
The 2022-2023 Jeep Gladiator, 2022-2023 Toyota Tacoma, and 2022 Chevrolet Colorado all earned “poor” ratings, while the 2022-2023 Ford Ranger received a score of “marginal,” the second-lowest safety rating. The trucks used in the study were crew cab models, which have full-sized back seats and the most rear passenger room of any of the cab styles.
All of the vehicles underwent an updated “moderate overlap” crash test, where two cars collide head-on at 40 mph. The test represents what would happen if a vehicle drifted across a roadway’s centerline, Consumer Reports said.
First of its kind
IHS’ updated safety test is the first of its kind to include a crash dummy in a vehicle’s second row, with many smaller vehicles struggling to earn high marks in testing, the consumer advocacy publication reported.
However, the test results could prompt automakers to spend more time developing enhanced back-seat safety features, according to Emily Thomas, Consumer Reports’ manager for auto safety.
“More rigorous tests like these often lead automakers to make changes that improve safety for vehicle occupants,” Thomas told Consumer Reports.
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General Motors is ending production of its Chevrolet Bolt models by the end of this year, the Michigan automaker said Tuesday, adding that the local plant currently tasked with making the Bolt will be converted for the manufacturing of electric pickup trucks.
GM is stopping Bolt production even though company officials say it’s their top-selling electric vehicle. GM debuted the all-electric car in 2016, a decade after it introduced the EV1, which was discontinued in 2002. The Bolt is one of the reasons why GM is a top market leader in the EV market, GM CEO Mary Barra said Tuesday.
“We delivered more than 20,000 EVs in the U.S. in the quarter, on the strength of record Bolt EV and Bolt EUV sales and rising Cadillac LYRIQ deliveries,” Barra said during an earnings call. “This moves us up to the second market position and increased our EV market share by 800 basis points.”
GM workers build the Bolt in a 4.3 million-square-foot facility in the Detroit suburb of Orion Township. In 2022, GM said it planned to renovate the Orion plant and use it for making the electric versions of the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado pickup trucks. Barra said Tuesday that the renovation project is almost finished.
“We have progressed so far that it’s now time to plan to end the Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV production, which will happen at the very end of the year,” Barra said. The Bolt EUV is a slightly larger hatchback model.
“When Orion EV assembly reopens in 2024 and reaches full production, employment will nearly triple, and we’ll have a company-wide capacity to build 600,000 electric trucks annually,” Barra said.
A Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle at the New York International Auto Show in 2022. GM is ending production of its Chevrolet Bolt models by the end of 2023.
Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Challenges ahead for EV leader
GM is managing the transition from combustion engines to electric vehicles well, according to Edward Jones analyst Jeff Windau, but the successful conversion will still be difficult to orchestrate. As EV sales start to increase and gas vehicles wind down, GM could find itself in a position where it’s not fully using factories for either type of vehicle, which would hurt profits, he said.
EVs are drawing more attention within the automotive industry, as shoppers grow curious about their capabilities, and automakers like Tesla and Ford race to assert dominance in the market. A survey released earlier this year from Deloitte found that nearly 7 out of 10 car shoppers want to buy an EV but are concerned about the price.
The average new EV sold for $58,940 last month, up from $58,385 in February, according to Kelley Blue Book. New tax credits enacted last year by President Joe Biden in the Inflation Reduction Act could drop that figure lower for some drivers.
GM and South Korea’s Samsung SDI plan to invest more than $3 billion in a new electric vehicle battery cell plant in the United States, the companies said Tuesday. Samsung was picked by GM as partner for its fourth joint venture battery cell factory, after some Chevrolet Bolt batteries made by LG caught fire, forcing GM to recall about 142,000. The recall cost GM about $1.9 billion, and the automaker said it was reimbursed for the cost by LG.
A global shortage of computer chips and other parts forced the auto industry to slow production last year, driving up prices as demand stayed strong. But the parts shortages and production are starting to improve. GM said it expects to start turning low-to-mid single-digit profit margins on electric vehicles in 2025.
GM reported $2.37 billion in profit from January through March, up from $1.99 billion in the previous year.
Khristopher J. Brooks is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering business, consumer and financial stories that range from economic inequality and housing issues to bankruptcies and the business of sports.
General Motors is recalling certain Chevrolet Silverado medium-duty trucks for model year 2019 or later, following the discovery of a potential leak in brake fluid that could result in a fire.
Potentially 40,428 vehicles could be affected. They include 4500HD, 5500HD, and 6500HD models with model years between 2019 and 2023, according to documents posted by U.S. safety regulators on Saturday.
The vehicles may have a brake pressure sensor assembly that allows brake fluid to leak and cause a short circuit. That in turn increases the risk of a fire that could occur when the vehicle is either driving or parked.
GM advises owners with potentially affected models to park outdoors and away from structures until the recall repair is done. Vehicles with model years before 2019 used a different design.
GM said it’s not aware of any injuries related to the condition.
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The Chevrolet Camaro, for decades the dream car of many teenage American males, is going out of production.
General Motors, which sells the brawny muscle car, said Wednesday it will stop making the current generation early next year.
The future of the car, which is raced on NASCAR and other circuits, is a bit murky. GM says another generation may be in the works.
“While we are not announcing an immediate successor today, rest assured, this is not the end of Camaro’s story,” Scott Bell, vice president of Chevrolet, said in a statement.
The current sixth-generation Camaro, introduced in 2016, has done well on the racetrack, but sales have been tailing off in recent years. When the current generation Camaro came out in 2016, Chevrolet sold 72,705 of them. But by the end of 2021 that number fell almost 70% to 21,893. It rebounded a bit last year to 24,652.
GM said last of the 2024 model year of the cars will come off the assembly line in Lansing, Michigan, in January.
Spokesman Trevor Thompkins said he can’t say anything more about a future Camaro. “We’re not saying anything specific right now,” he said.
The company, he said, has an understanding with auto-racing sanctioning bodies that the sixth-generation car can continue racing. GM will have parts available and the Camaro body will stay on the race track, he said.
NASCAR said that because the Generation 6 Camaro was in production when GM originally got permission to race, it remains qualified to race in NASCAR Cup and NASCAR Xfinity Series races.
GM will offer a collector’s edition package of the 2024 Camaro RS and SS in North America, and a limited number of high-performance ZL-1 Camaros. The collector’s edition cars will have ties to the first-generation Camaro from the 1960s and its GM code name “Panther,” the company said without giving specifics.
GM’s move comes as traditional gas-powered muscle cars are starting to be phased out due to strict government fuel economy regulations, concerns about climate change and an accelerating shift toward electric vehicles.
Stellantis, will stop making gas versions of the Dodge Challenger and Charger and the Chrylser 300 big sedan by the end of this year. But the company has plans to roll out a battery-powered Charger performance car sometime in 2024.
Electric cars, with instant torque and a low center of gravity, often are faster and handle better than internal combustion vehicles.
Stellantis, formed in 2021 by combining Fiat Chrysler and France’s PSA Peugeot, earlier this week announced the last of its special edition muscle cars, the 1,025 horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170. The company says the car can go from zero to 60 mph (97 kilometers per hour) in 1.66 seconds, making it the fastest production car on the market.
Ty Dillon spent the 2022 season competing for Petty GMS in his return to the Cup Series. (Photo by … [+] Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
Getty Images
As part of Spire Motorsports’ long-term growth, the two-car Nascar Cup Series operation will have two full-time drivers for the first time in 2023.
The Chevrolet-backed team announced on Tuesday Corey LaJoie will return for his third season behind the wheel of the No. 7 Chevrolet. The organization is also adding Ty Dillon, grandson of Richard Childress, to pilot the No. 77 car, which has been split by multiple drivers since 2021.
“The next step in our progression is to add an equally capable full-time driver for the No. 77 team and we’ve found just that individual in Ty Dillon,” co-owner Jeff Dickerson said. “Clearly, the path that T.J. (Puchyr, co-owner) and I have taken to be here today has been atypical. We have great respect for our contemporaries in the sport, and we are humbled to be among them. Collectively, we’ve been fortunate to serve a lot of functions and roles in racing over the past 20 years. That allows us to have a great appreciation and perspective of what it takes to be successful in this super-competitive environment. We’re very proud of what every member of the organization has helped us build.”
Spire Motorsports added a second full-time entry in 2021, saying the team “can’t afford to lose” ahead of its decision. The two Spire Motorsports cars sit 32nd and 33rd in the owner standings, with three races left in the 2022 season.
Throughout LaJoie’s two full seasons with the team, he’s experienced moments of brilliance, including nearly winning his first Cup race at Atlanta earlier this year before wrecking while in the lead.
Meanwhile, Dillon rejoined the Cup Series circuit this year after competing in only nine races in 2021 across Nascar’s top-three divisions. Dillon was left jobless entering the 2021 season after Germain Racing shut its doors, giving the younger of the Dillon brothers little time to find a new full-time ride.
Dillon reemerged with Petty GMS Motorsports this season, but was told in July that he would not return to the team next year. Dillon only has one top-10 result this year, coming at the Bristol dirt race in the spring.
However, Spire Motorsports believes that having two full-time drivers will elevate the entire program and give the two pilots a chance to compete for a spot in the playoffs.
“I’m thankful for this opportunity, a new beginning with a very hungry team that is excited for the future,” Dillon in a statement. “Spire Motorsports has been growing year after year, when you look at the way that Corey and the No. 7 team has developed to be competitive. The organization is heading in the right direction and I’m excited to be a part of bringing the No. 77 up to where Corey has been running. Hopefully, we raise the whole level of competition together.”
As part of Tuesday’s announcement, Spire Motorsports said crew chief Ryan Sparks, who works with LaJoie, will also serve as the team’s director of competition in 2023.
Washington-based automotive accessory manufacturer signs nationwide distribution deal with General Motors
Press Release –
updated: Jun 18, 2018
BELLEVUE, Wash., June 18, 2018 (Newswire.com)
– Scrape Armor®, the American manufacturer of precision skid plates, announces a distribution partnership with General Motors Co. bringing their premier bumper protection products to Chevrolet dealers nationwide.
Scrape Armor is a market leader in front bumper protection solutions, designed to eliminate underside bumper damage on vehicles with low front-end profiles. Chevrolet will offer Scrape Armor specifically engineered for the Corvette and Camaro, serving as the first line of defense against parking curbs, steep driveways, potholes and other road obstacles.
Corvette and Camaro owners have been strong supporters of Scrape Armor since the beginning. We are thrilled to be able to offer our products at their local Chevrolet dealers nationwide.
Scott Whitehead, President
Constructed of Teklite™, a lightweight, strong polymer that expands and contracts at the same rate as the front bumper, Scrape Armor provides substantial front-end protection with a low-profile seamless installation.
Scrape Armor’s patent-pending Glidetek™ and Eliptek™ design features reduce a vehicle’s road contact surface area by more than 50 percent and protect the front end from getting hung up on parking curbs, speed bump impact and abrasion damage.
“As much as owners love the dramatic front profile of today’s vehicles, it inevitably invites trouble,” said Jerome Pfitzner, director of sales at Scrape Armor. “Speed bumps, parking blocks and curbs create abrasion and impact damage that is costly to repair and can negatively affect a vehicle’s resale value. Our new distribution with GM will allow customers an option to easily protect their investment at the time of purchase or service.”
Customers interested in Scrape Armor are encouraged to contact their nearest Chevrolet dealer.
Scrape Armor Inc. is an American manufacturer of precision automotive skid plates. Scrape Armor® is the leading brand of premier bumper protection solutions with patented product designs and advanced vehicle fitment methods. Trusted by car enthusiasts and dealerships worldwide, Scrape Armor delivers exceptional products all backed with a lifetime warranty. For more information, visit scrapearmor.com.
PRESS CONTACT Matt Trigaux Director of Marketing mtrigaux@scrapearmor.com (844) 677-2727 scrapearmor.com
