This was supposed to be the year all the non-Tesla electric vehicles showed up in force to reset the American car landscape. That was the theory, anyway. The reality is, not so much—while EV adoption is rapidly growing here and this year’s due to be a record one, sales aren’t as up-and-to-the-right as many predicted, thanks to anxieties with charging and high EV prices. On today’s morning news roundup, we learn why the Chevrolet Blazer EV isn’t helping with that situation.
Plus, we’ll look at Ford’s plans for hybrids; peek into Aston Martin’s turnaround; and learn why the new Nismo Z left the manual gearbox option behind. Let’s go!
Chevy Blazer EV Gets A Price Hike Right Out Of The Gate
This spring, when the new EV tax credit scheme was finalized, General Motors was quick to brag that its full lineup of electrics would qualify for the breaks. Problem was, as several critics were quick to point out, that lineup doesn’t really exist yet. There was the Chevy Bolt, which is about to be discontinued before being revived later, and… well, that’s it for now. The rest are “coming soon.” Several have been delayed (Cadillac Lyriq, Chevy Blazer, etc.) and others (GMC Hummer EV) have had some notable problems.
I’m confident GM will get there eventually, but a lot of early hype around this lineup hasn’t turned into actual products you can buy quite yet. Making EVs is hard. Adding to those headaches is the fact that now, the Blazer EV—an ostensible Mustang Mach-E competitor—will be much more expensive than initially announced. Here’s The Detroit Free Press to elaborate:
In July 2022, when Chevy revealed the Blazer EV, it estimated the base trim would start at $44,995, pushing it up-market from its gasoline-powered counterpart at $35,100. The finalized pricing for the trims rolling out this year are above that estimate.
“Our initial launch editions are highly contented with features we know our customer’s want and showcase the technology and customer choice the Blazer EV offers,” [GM spokesperson Chad Lyons] said of the pricing.
RS AWD starts at $60,215.
RS RWD starts at $61,790.
2LT AWD starts at $56,715.Range for the 2LT and RS AWD are 279 miles on a full charge. GM expects to achieve an estimated 320-mile range on a full charge for the RS RWD trim.
A cheaper 2LT FWD model (yes, it’s a weirdo car that can come in all three configurations) is due to debut next year and that should be cheaper too. Still, that’s quite a price hike, even with the tax incentives. I’m not convinced the world needs another $60,000 EV crossover, but we’ll see how this one does.
Ford Sticks With Hybrids
Ask Ford about the challenges of rolling out battery-powered cars. It’s why I’m not framing this as some “What is GM doing?” story. This is hard for all the legacy OEMs, just as the startups have their own problems. But Ford, unlike GM, is doing something I think is smart: sticking with hybrid cars even as it invests more into full battery EVs too. Here’s another one from The Detroit Free Press today:
A deep dive into sales data over the past three years helps explain why he disclosed that Ford will reveal a refreshed Ford F-150 hybrid at the Detroit auto show in mid-September. Many competitors are touting a desire to shift completely to electric vehicles. Ford is pumping the brakes.
While consumers are purchasing electric vehicles, the market pricing is still dynamic and Ford is losing billions on the pivot from old internal combustion engines (ICE) to battery electric. Meanwhile, traditional F-Series trucks are selling like crazy and continuing to generate profits that have sustained Ford for decades.
[CEO Jim Farley] spotlighted hybrids, which increase fuel efficiency for truck owners while allowing them to go to the gas pump in times of need rather than find a charging station to plug in. As automakers figure out how many EVs to build, and what prices will work, Ford says it will work to tip-toe consumers away from internal combustion engines into electrification.
And he means specifically non-PHEVs here. Just hybrid-hybrids. But apparently the F-150 hybrid is a kind of secret weapon here, and as we see in other segments, sales are picking up:
Since its introduction of the Ford F-150 hybrid during fourth quarter 2020 through June, the automaker has sold 103,709 vehicles. In the last three months, F-150 hybrid sales spiked 33% over the same period a year ago with 13,285 vehicles. It was the best quarter since its introduction. Meanwhile, the Ford Maverick hybrid is the No. 2 selling hybrid truck in the U.S.
Plus, as that story notes, a lot of F-150 hybrid owners love that they can power various devices and tools with that truck, too.
Maybe it’s more awareness of climate issues amid a brutal summer; maybe people are waking up to the potential of EVs, but reluctant to go full-bore for now and see this as a nice compromise; maybe they’re just sick of paying a lot for truck gas. All of those are valid reasons, and I say good on Ford for offering this as a choice. I’d like to see other OEMs get out in front on this.
Aston Martin’s Big Turnaround Seems To Be… Working?
Did you know Aston Martin has declared bankruptcy seven times in its 110-year history? I did not, but yeesh. Wow. These days, however, things seem to be looking up. The much-criticized acquisition and IPO led by Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll (it’s certainly a nice benefit for his son, Aston Martin F1 driver Lance Stroll) appears to be working. Via Bloomberg, which compares it to Ferrari here:
But, whisper it quietly, things do seem better now. With former Ferrari boss Amedeo Felisa at the helm since last year, the company has dealt with a surfeit of cars at dealerships and focused on boosting exclusivity by selling cars at higher prices. The average price per vehicle sold (include special editions) increased to £212,000 in the first half of 2023, compared with less than £160,000 in 2020.
New higher-margin models like the DB12 have won rave reviews and racked up strong orders, while the DBX SUV has been a hit with US customers — some of whom are discovering the brand for the first time thanks to its successful association with F1 (Aston Martin is currently ranked third in the constructors’ championship).
Aston Martin’s business and capital markets performance remain well short of Ferrari, though, whose successful 2015 stock market listing encouraged premium automakers to aspire to the lofty valuations that fashion houses like Hermes International enjoy.
Just yesterday, Aston Martin raised £216 million (about $276 million) in a share sale, which will help with its electrification strategy in partnership with Lucid. Meanwhile, it also has an engine partnership with Mercedes and lots of Saudi money. Financially speaking, things could be a lot worse for Aston these days.
More Nismos On The Way?
Like all of you, I was utterly baffled that the new, more powerful Nissan Z Nismo only comes with an automatic gearbox. And not even a truly great automatic, like the Toyota Supra’s ZF8; an in-house nine-speed auto that they claim is “better” on track for its quicker shifting times. Whatever you say, guys!
But Motor Trend says the people demanded faster lap times, so here we are:
[Nissan Product Planning Director Paul Hawson] tells MotorTrend that Nissan customer research showed Z buyers want quicker lap times. They want a car that can punch above its weight at a track day, and good modern automatics shift quicker than the best manuals.
We already know the auto is 0.6-second quicker to 60 mph and through the quarter-mile, and it’ll likely post a quicker lap time on a circuit as well. If it does, it’ll be in part because this version of the automatic has revised clutch packs with extra plates promising quicker shifting, particularly downshifts which now take half as long as other models, Nissan says. It also says the car’s new Sport+ drive mode is so good on the track that you don’t need to use the paddle shifters.
Still, Hawson isn’t ruling out adding a manual transmission option in the future. If enough customers demand it, he tells us, the company will make it happen.
Just like what happened with the Supra, I guess. Meanwhile, Nissan’s had a lot of production problems to fix with the regular Z. I haven’t seen any of these on the road yet, period. Have you?
Your Turn
Let’s do something fun instead of talking about EVs and car prices. What’s the best option available right now for taking your car to a track? I’m not convinced it’s the porky Nismo Z, though I’m sure it’s blast. What would you pick, especially on a reasonable budget?
Just wait out this stupid EV sucker prices. $60K for that is 50% too much.
>>perfect user name
I imagine RootWyrm posts as being read by Lewis Black. It makes them so much fun. I think the Autopian should have a recurring feature: “RootWyrm’s Rant”
We already have Torch and the Taillight Mafia, David and the Cult of Jeep, and Mercedes; take your pick: SMART, VW, motorcycles, RV/campers, planes. A true Renaissance Woman.
I know it’s anecdotal, but i did plenty of HPDE weekends with my former Saab 9-3 (2006, so the GMified one) on the cheap. The essentials (at least with the smaller non-aero brakes) were racing specific pads and RBF600 brake fluid, and you could only count on the pads lasting for a single weekend (so about 10x 20 min sessions at mid Ohio). The front strut top bushings and front caliper pistons and seals typically only lasted a bit more than a weekend too, so I started tearing those as wear items, but all the parts were relatively cheap at least. Using the car you already have is almost always the cheapest option, but all the extra work eventually wore me down and I got an RX-8 for the task, which is also a great answer to the question. It’s a slightly porky NC with more power (but not torque…) that doesn’t need a roll bar.
This is amusing since people already consider the NC the porky Miata (I have an NC2 with maximum porky bits; Grand Touring trim and PRHT).
Ah, yea, I can definitely see parts availability on the OG 9-3 being considerably worse than the NG.
So uh, how much of a financially ruinous pain in my ass would be it be to start tracking a 9-5? Asking for a friend of course.
So, why is the RWD blazer more expensive than the AWD one when they have the same size battery pack?
As for a cheap track car, I made my choice a few years ago with the S2 RX-8 I bought in early 2019. It had about 80k miles on the original engine so I went into it planning an eventual rebuild (which it ended up needing a year ago). Initial purchase price was $4500 since the dealer flooded it and couldn’t be bothered to try to fix it, I put in about $500 immediately for brakes, cool packs and wires, fluid etc, then the parts for the rebuild ran another $3500 (she needed new housings), but all together the total cost is still quite low for it’s capabilities. Its great on track, works surprisingly well as a DD in a pinch for my family of 4 (two car seats in the back), and is a blast in the snow (with snow tires of course… It’s my default daily in SE MI when it’s snowy)
According to InsideEVs the RS RWD adds a Bose stereo:
Wow… A fancy stereo is more expensive than all the front drive hardware, motor, power electronics, half shafts etc… Something seems off about that
Well, it is Bose. You’re overpaying by at least 1000%. 😉
IMHO, the Blazer EV will be a sales flop and the price will get slashed. Sticking with similar vehicles in its class, it’s too expensive. The Kia/Hyundai EVs have incentives to compensate for the lack of a tax credit.
Track car; BRZ/GR86.
I had a buddy who raced a Honda CRX back when they existed, so that’s my imaginary track car.
Want to drive faster on the track? Work on those driving skills. More power and improved driver aids isn’t the answer. As Lou Schmidt says, get a Miata. Then, work on the fundamentals until you can get everything out of it. Pro Tip: that will take a good chunk of time and effort.
My favorite on-track cars have all had modest horsepower and decent suspensions. Older VW GTIs score well in the regard. Aircooled Porsche 911s are a blast, and keep you on your toes. The only person you’ll impress is yourself, and for me and my modest skill level, that’s plenty.
Track car on a reasonable budget? New or used it’s Miata or an 86.
Lightish weight means less tyre and brake wear, low power means having to learn how to drive properly. Common as muck means loads of aftermarket support, and a cheap source of secondhand parts for repairs.
I like coupes, so I went 86. I used to do drift competitions and autotests in my old MX5 turbo, and it was a great car to drive, cheap to run and reliable too.
I haven’t actually tracked my 86 yet, but only because I’ve had access to other peoples’ track cars and didn’t need to. Plus the governing body of UK motorsport don’t like standard cars on aftermarket wheels, so I’ve stopped doing sprints (which I used to do in my Elise and MR2 when I had them)
I do keep getting the urge to buy an old Clio 200 as a track day project, despite the FWD and having had French cars before. I’m assuming I’m just ill or something.
The absolute last thing the world needs is another goddamn $60,000 EV crossover. The market is absolutely overflowing with them. They’re bloated, overpriced, and require drivers to take on all the sacrifices that come with being an early adopter. They’re atrocious values and there’s a reason dealers can’t give them away.
I cannot even begin to fathom choosing to spend my money that way. For the same price you can get an XC60 PHEV that has 40 miles of EV range, better performance, a stylish and luxurious Swedish interior, and cool exterior styling as well. Most people could do 90% of their driving with that range and still have an ICE engine for road-trips. That’s also X3 M40i money if you’re down for pure ICE, RDX/well equipped hybrid NX money…it’s absolutely insane.
These things are going to sit for months until crazy lease deals come out…then they’ll be leased, returned, and sit for months again. First gen EVs are disposable products and we’ll have a completely different environmental problem on our hands 3-4 years from now when there are hundreds of thousands of these vehicles sitting around with dated, depleted battery tech that they won’t be able to give away. It’s dumb. The end.
For a cheap track day toy my beloved Ns are usable right out of the box. While I have yet to get mine on an actual track (the local place keeps ducking me despite the fact that I received a gift card that covers 3 sessions) I have spent an hour beating the absolute piss out of it on remote country roads several times and it has had 0 issues with cooling, brake fade, performance, etc. I reach my limits before the car does.
The Toyobarus need a little work to be track worthy, but even with the handful of mods you’ll need to do they make for fun little weekend cars. The Miata Club also seems to be track worthy out of the box. If you have more money to spend the ILE Camaros are universally considered great track toys…and there was a period of time when you could get the package with every engine, but unfortunately now it’s only available with the LT1 V8.
I’m sure folks will go “but Nsane, the V8 is what you want!” and while I personally agree I do see the value in pairing the ILE package with the 4 popper or V6…they’re better for beginner drivers and offer a cheaper point of entry. Hell I’m sure you can find barebones 1LE equipped lower spec Camaros in the 20s if you look hard enough, and that platform is a treat.
Ze Germans have some fun stuff too. I’d love to take an M2 out for a track day, and nice enough examples of the last gen one are currently available in the 40s. You’re going to have a bad time when the issues inevitably pop up, but it’s a lot of car for that price. I also think the new RS3 looks like a hoot, but it’s a shame that it’s so horrible to look at and coated in unobtanium. I’ll also give an honorable mention to the FL5 CTR. It’s also coated in unobtanium but as long as they fixed the cooling issues from the last gen it should be a weapon.
Taking the 86 (or anything else without explicit manufacturer warranty support for track day driving) on the track would be too risky for my taste.
I’ve experienced minor component failures on track with the Viper and FCA covered them without question. Apparently the same is true of GM but not of Toyota (not sure on some of the rest).
The Ns are covered for track use as well
Track days? I’m still on the Miata train for that one. Easy to get, lots of great choices, robust aftermarket, really good out of the box, slow car fast. There are a lot of great choices out there, but it’s tough to beat the top down silliness of attacking a track in a Miata.
I stopped wearing blazers around the time I started wearing long pants so I haven’t kept up with prices, but my gawd, $60k? That’s insane, even with todays inflation. And why the hell is GM making blazers, anyway? Can’t they just do gimme caps like everyone else?
As for track day, Mazda RX-7, baby.
Look, Venetian stripe is a timeless and underappreciated pattern
Sure you’re not Venetian blind?
On the Blazer, according to The Detroit News (which has better auto coverage than The Free Press imo) it’s not a price increase as much as it is that GM decided not to make the 1LT trim at all.
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/general-motors/2023/07/31/gm-starts-shipping-blazers-evs-drops-entry-level-1lt-trim/70498429007/
As for a track car? I’m bending the rules on “reasonable” here but I’d love to rip a CT5 Blackwing or a Lotus Emira around for a day.
It won’t be surprising then if the same happens to the EV Equinox, shelving the lower trims – and in turn supports why they decided they will continue with an Ultium-based Bolt.
More than likely. I’d imagine that the Eqi will option up to replace the 1LT in price and the Bolt will do the same to replace the base Eqi. Time will tell, I suppose.
Side story on the Blazer: It’s built in Mexico and if you are a baseball fan at all, the Tigers centerfield scoreboard is flanked with GM cars. People in Detroit had an absolute shit fit when a Blazer was put up there, lol. Detroit is a car city like no other.
I remember that story, lol. Shades of the Mitsu-built Dodge Stealth getting changed out for the Viper to pace the Indy 500.
Track car? Ariel Atom or one of the Caterham 7s.
You have a great budget, I think.
I have a great imagination. 🙂
Geez. Until they get real with ev prices, holding on to our rav4 hybrid looks better and better especially since we average about 9k miles a year on it.
For track fun. Reasonable cost and liveable as a daily. Not unobtanium. Gr86 with Mt. Not the fastest, most powerful, or most anything probably. Just a fun little coupe that reminds me of tossing my celica wedge around as a teenager.
I’m too poor to virtue signal properly.
GM: “Our lineup of EVs will qualify for the EV tax credit!”
Buying Public: “So they’ll be priced at MSRP +$7500? Gotcha.”
GM Dealers: “Don’t be so unrealistic, guys. You can’t forget the ADM.”
I would like to track an Elantra N or a MGB
As someone who has driven an MGB GT my gut response to your mention of MGB was, OMG why? BUT, the more I thought about it the more I think it could be fun since you would have to work so very hard to do it. I mean, you would really have to work the clutch and keep the revs up to make it hustle, and then with only one driven wheel manage all that to keep it from breaking loose. Could be interesting for a day.
Are they back and to the left? 🙂
We touched on this yesterday, and it’s a point that bears repeating.
I think hybrids are the answer for now. Manufacturers should position hybrids as an EV with a safety net, rather than as an ICE car with an electric accessory. Drivers can use the battery 90% of the time and have an ICE assist for the remaining 10% and for those unusual use cases.
Or to put it in ad-speak: “If you’re going to have only one car, make it a hybrid”.
Exactly!… I’ve been shouting that for months now (mostly at my cat, who has no opinion). We’re still going to have gasoline around for a long time so why not use hybrids to help smooth the transition to all electric? I’d like to see more PHEVs to be clear, but at least hybrids will bring some level of electrification to people who don’t have access to home charging.
Your cat has an opinion but it’s too smug to tell you.
Mostly it’s screw you but I can’t confirm the level of screw you it feels about your opinion on hybrids.
This is the way to go. And you can market “range-extended electric” or whatever to show how committed to electric vehicles your company is. We’ll stop a lot more emissions by converting people’s commutes to electric while supplementing longer trips with gas than we will by selling them an electric commuter car and a gasser for road trips.
“Back and to the left” ha ha
“I hate Keith Hernandez”
“There had to have been a second spitter”
I also love the line “I’m not helping him move!”
Love Seinfeld
I thought the Blazer was supposed to replace the Bolt and was going to start at like $35k?! I will admit, that is a swoopy and pretty decent looking crossover, but dang. Not for that price!
Disregard. Equinox was what I was thinking of. This makes more sense now.
Even so, the 1LT package was the one that was supposed to start around $35-40k. That has been dropped because no one was gonna buy one anyway.
It’s just a matter of time before they announce that the cheapest equinox is going to be $45k
True statement. It’s about time we admitted that part of what is driving the price of cars up these days is that the lower trim models were generally loss leaders that only the biggest cheapskates like me ever bought, and automakers are sick of taking that hit.
Honda was recently notable for it, dropping the base trims on some models, the new CR-V even debuted with no LX trim which exacerbated the price hike over the old one. But, most added it back later. I suspect that was more driven by supply issues, leaving some parts in short supply to more profitable trims. Depending which way the wind blows GM could toss the entry trims back in the mix too. Probably a bit better of a strategy than just outright price cuts and hikes like say, Ford on the F150 Lightning.
Vaporware, random price changes, manufacturing hell.
Mary Barra and Jim Farley must wake up singing.
$60k – Isn’t that Cadillac Lyriq territory? I guess I have no idea how they compare in size, but on a quick glance, seem like they’d be inhabiting similar territory.
Good more hybrids. Bring on the Maverick Hybrid AWD. Or a Bronco Sport hybrid to compete with the RAV4. Or an Explorer hybrid that competes with the Highlander.
The Ford Escape Hybrid and Explorer Hybrid already exist, though?
The Escape hybrid exists and is efficient, which suggests a Bronco Sport could be made more efficient by borrowing that powertrain (and/or the PHEV one).
The Explorer hybrid is a mild hybrid and doesn’t offer enough efficiency benefit for the price bump (25 mpg combined doesn’t really compete well with Highlander having 35 combined). They should make a much more efficient one, and/or possibly a PHEV, and then they’d be in real competition.
The Explorer Hybrid might have compared more favorably with the prior hybrid Highlander that used the V6 and was around 28-29 combined, but the Explorer still falls just shy of it in its highest MPG form.
Against the current Highlander hybrid, the V6 and higher towing capacity might have been an advantage for the Explorer, but now they have to contend with the Grand Highlander which has more space inside and with the Hybrid Max, the same mpg and more power.
The main problem is Ford can barely supply the Hermosillo factory with hybrid parts for the Maverick so a Bronco Sport hybrid is probably out of the picture. And the shorter wheelbase of the Bronco Sport likely makes packaging the PHEV battery a nonstarter, plus Ford seems to want to reserve eAWD to the Lincoln Corsair.
The answer is always…Dodge Neon ACR, the 1st gen coupe. Probably don’t exist but there ya go.
As for the $60k Blazer, that’s hilarious in that it’s as much as a Corvette…their Halo car, thought that meant that’d be about their price cap, guess not!
Almost bought an ACR before COVID, and I’m not even a track guy. I’m sure it would cost 3 or 4 times what that guy wanted for it now.
GM giving 90% again; what else is new?
So now that the Blazer is actually 55k minimum, we can expect the Equinox to be 45k, if not 50k minimum instead of the totally bullshit 30k that GM claims?
As for “my turn”: M.I.A.T.A.
The best option for me personally is taking a car I already own. But I doubt that’s the spirit of the question.
If I were buying a brand new car on a reasonable budget with track driving as my top priority, it’s probably a Camaro 1LE for as long as I can still get one.
Say what you will about GM and their numerous missteps, but their performance bona fides (when they really put in the effort) can rarely be questioned.
I’m not a fan of the Camaro for it’s day to day usability (I like seeing out of my cars).
But if I was really looking for a car to be 90% a track toy I would really consider one. I got to try out a friend’s Camaro and though it’s a bit dopey looking and has slits for windows, I couldn’t deny that it was a blast to drive.
I guess my perspective is a bit different in that driving a Viper around makes a Camaro feel like a minivan visibility-wise. So I’ve never really thought of the visibility issue as a major one *shrugs*
I personally don’t like the styling since they started messing with the face a few years ago. But if all I needed was track prowess, I wouldn’t care what it looks like.
New car exceeds original expected price.
Water, is it still wet? Footage at 10:00.