Surprisingly Hot-Lookin' Electric Chevrolet Equinox Coming Next Year
General Motors created big hype at CES 2022 with the unveiling of the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV, its most affordable full-size electric pickup truck yet. But equally key was the announcement that a $30,000 electric Chevrolet Equinox crossover and a larger electric Chevrolet Blazer SUV are coming in 2023.
The trio of high-profile Chevy vehicles were among the initiatives outlined by General Motors Chair and CEO Mary Barra as part of her virtual keynote address at CES 2022. Barra delivered her address virtually from the Fox Theater in Detroit. She used the stage to show the new electric Chevy Silverado (and a new Trail Boss off-road variant) and add that GM will be introducing electric heavy-duty vehicles as well by 2025.
Electric 2024 Chevrolet Equinox Due Fall 2023
But back to that 2024 Chevy Equinox EV, which will go on sale in the fall of 2023. Launching with both fleet and retail versions, the electric Equinox will be several notches less boring than the gas-fed model on sale today. The first released images show a crossover that is more sleek and modern than a conventional Equinox, with more dramatically sculpted sides.
We know there will be at least two trim levels: LT and RS. One image shows a two-tone red and black interior (obviously the RS) and enough screens to cover almost two-thirds of the dash. Another image shows a silver interior with a more conservative silver and black color exterior scheme, with more body-color elements on the nose than the aggressive RS.
The Equinox EV was designed to offer an affordable, high-volume electric vehicle for the Chevy brand as GM attempts to offer EVs in all segments and price points.
Electric Blazer Will Be Shown This Year
Before the Equinox arrives, the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV will go on sale in the spring of 2023. Barra did not offer a visual preview of the Blazer, though at least at this juncture we're wondering how daring GM's designers will get with that model, given how saucy the Equinox EV looks. In Chevy's lineup today the Blazer (pictured above)is far sportier and overtly Camaro-inspired relative to the conventional, fairly conservative Equinox; should that hierarchy hold with these EV versions, buckle in the for the electric Blazer.
Even though the Blazer will come sooner, GM has provided few details. We are promised it will debut later this year and will be priced right—which is key given the conventional Blazer suffered from a high sticker price that deterred some buyers who were otherwise attracted to its muscular good looks.
Ultium Platform for All
The new electric vehicles will use GM's Ultium EV platform created in 2020 and which powers the 2022 GMC Hummer EV electric pickup now on sale.
Still to come are electric versions of the Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups and a number of SUVs including the 2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV, the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq mid-size SUV, the Equinox and Blazer, and crossovers planned for the Buick brand.
Cadillac will also have the Celestiq flagship limo-like sedan with a hatch instead of a trunk.
Ultra Cruise Coming on Celestiq
The handbuilt Cadillac Celestiq will be among the first vehicles to be equipped with UItra Cruise, which offers door-to-door hands-free driving, Barra said. Ultra Cruise goes into production in 2023 and can handle the driving with no input in about 95 percent of driving scenarios, Barra says. Soon it will be OK for use on all paved roads in the U.S. and Canada.
Ultra Cruise is the next level up from Super Cruise, GM's highway hands-free driving technology. Super Cruise will be available on 22 models by 2023 as the automaker continues to roll it out across all lineups. Super Cruise has been enhanced to provide more functions such as automated lane changes.
GM says it will be the first company to use Qualcomm Technologies' SnapDragon Ride Platform for advanced driver assistance technology that incorporates software developed inhouse by GM. "Co-developed by GM and Qualcomm for Ultra Cruise, the new computer architecture will have the processing capability of several hundred personal computers but is only about the size of two laptops placed on top of one another," GM says.
BrightDrop Orders Adding Up
On the commercial vehicle side, GM's new BrightDrop division announced further orders by FedEx and a sourcing agreement with Walmart to supply the BrightDrop EV600 electric delivery van and add the smaller EV410 when it goes into production in early 2023.
After an initial order of 500 vans, FedEx is adding 2,000 more over the next few years and negotiating another 20,000 in the years to follow. BrightDrop is also working with FedEx to meet the needs for a larger 1,000-cubic-foot van in the future. Under the naming formula already established, it could be the EV1000.
Walmart announced it will add a fleet of 5,000 BrightDrop vans, starting in 2023, to expand its InHome delivery service. Walmart also uses Cruise for autonomous deliveries.
Barra said GM still aims to deliver its first personal autonomous vehicle as soon as mid-decade.
GM, Honda and Cruise are working to test and validate the Cruise Origin self-driving rideshare vehicle that is on track for commercialization in coming months.
This is the second year that GM has used CES to outline a wide swath of plans and ideas centered on a future of electric and autonomous mobility.
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