General Motors resumed sales of the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV on Friday, more than two months after sidelining it to fix a software quality problem.
The automaker also has cut the midsize electric crossover’s price by at least 9 percent, pushing all three available versions below $50,000 after shipping and a $7,500 federal tax credit. GM made a sourcing change on some ineligible parts so the Blazer EV is again eligible for the full credit.
The least expensive configuration available now starts at $50,195 with shipping before the tax credit, down from $56,715 previously. Current owners will be reimbursed for the price difference when they bought the vehicle, Chevrolet said.
“We are excited to have the Chevrolet Blazer EV available again, this time with a compelling price, enhanced features and functionality and qualifying for the full consumer tax credit,” Scott Bell, vice president of global Chevrolet, said in a statement.
GM halted sales of the Blazer EV in late December to fix software issues that included sporadic problems with vehicle screens and during charging attempts at some public fast chargers. Chevy said in a statement Friday that it also updated the vehicle with revised graphics in the driver information center, including the battery percentage display, and customizable ambient lighting in multiple colors.
When the stop-sale began, Chevrolet said the issues were not safety-related and affected an unspecified but “limited” number of vehicles.
GM CEO Mary Barra has said the company created a software quality division that is working to understand what went wrong on the Blazer EV and will apply its work to all future vehicle programs.
Chevy lowered prices for the Blazer EV by 9 percent for the RS trim and 11 percent for the LT trim with all-wheel drive.
The awd RS that started at $60,215 with shipping when sales began in August now is priced at $54,595, while the rear-wheel-drive RS dropped to $56,170 from $61,790.
The awd LT that now starts at $50,195 was previously $56,715. Chevy plans to eventually sell a front-wheel-drive LT at a price it has not yet disclosed, as well as a fwd RS and an SS trim.
A Chevy spokesperson told Automotive News that the pricing change is intended to compete in the EV segment and respond “to our customers’ desires for more affordable EV prices.”
GM CFO Paul Jacobson said last month at a Citi investor conference that the automaker had built about 25,000 Blazer EV and Cadillac Lyriq vehicles that did not meet updated federal tax credit sourcing rules this year. Both vehicles temporarily lost eligibility starting Jan. 1 because two minor components did not comply.
GM said the Lyriq regained eligibility in February. The automaker said it will continue to provide an equivalent $7,500 incentive to Lyriq and Blazer EV buyers on vehicles built before the sourcing change was completed.