- Despite being discontinued, the Chevy Bolt EV has outsold the Blazer EV in the first half of 2024
- Launched last year, the Blazer EV appears to have overcome a problematic rollout
- GM promises that when the Bolt EV comes back for 2026 it will be the most affordable EV
The Chevrolet Bolt EV is no longer in production, but it still outsold the Chevy Blazer EV over the first half of this year, according to General Motors’ most recent financial results and sales update.
GM delivered 8,414 units of the Bolt EV and its crossover-like Bolt EUV variant in the first two quarters of the year, compared to 7,234 Blazer EV deliveries. However, in Q2 alone, Blazer EV deliveries were higher than Bolt EV/EUV deliveries, at 6,634 units and 1,374 units, respectively.
2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV RS
The difference is a reflection of the fact that Bolt EV/EUV deliveries have been trailing off since production ended at the end of 2023, while Blazer EV production has ramped up. But the fact that the Blazer EV hasn’t yet pulled away from the discontinued Bolt EV in year-to-date sales shows just how gradual that ramp up has been.
GM technically started Blazer EV deliveries last July, and it’s been slow going since then. It struggled to accelerate EV deliveries through 2023, due mostly to issues ramping up its Ultium battery cells. GM reported 21,930 EV deliveries in Q2, up 34% from Q1 and 40% year-over-year, indicating that it has started to turn a corner. But previous goals to deliver 400,000 EVs through 2023—and then the first half of 2024—have clearly been dashed.
GM cut prices of the Blazer EV in March, and so far, beyond addressing a backlog and software issues that led to a stop-sale late last year, it doesn’t appear to have sparked more sales. Those meager sales do at least include a high number of sought after “conquest” customers trading in from other brands. GM claims 40% of Blazer EV buyers are new customers, coming from rival brands like Jeep, Ford, Hyundai, and Kia.
The Bolt EV will only be gone for one model year. CEO Mary Barra has said that the 2026 Bolt EV will be the most affordable U.S. EV and will switch to an LFP battery chemistry to help make that happen.
