Chevrolet Equinox EV’s Launch to be Delayed “a Few Months”
The upcoming Chevrolet Equinox EV is unquestionably one of the most anticipated electric vehicles in Canada, with pricing to start below $40,000—at least that’s what we were promised during the model’s introduction last year. Sadly, the wait is far from over yet.
The first units were scheduled to enter production at the Ramos Arizpe assembly plant in Mexico sometime in the fourth quarter of 2023, but General Motors CEO Mary Barra announced today that the Equinox EV will be delayed by “a few months” as the automaker makes key improvements to the vehicle and adjusts to new challenges in the market.
- Also: GM Expects EVs to be Profitable Past 2025, But Affordability Remains an Issue
- Also: Chevrolet Silverado EV, Equinox EV Make Canadian Debut in Montreal
At the same time, Barra said GM is no longer projecting to have 400,000 EVs built between 2022 and mid-2024, a goal she reiterated as recently as this summer. Of course, that was before the United Auto Workers (UAW) launched a strike against Detroit’s Big Three on September 15. GM has lost over $1 billion so far and expects to lose more than $250 million for every week the strike drags on.
The start of production of the Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV at the Orion assembly plant in Michigan is also delayed, in this case until late 2025. The factory will soon end Bolt EV and Bolt EUV output and then be retooled to manufacture the more profitable electric pickups.
Going back to the Equinox EV, it’s not just the belated market launch that customers have to worry about. Prices could be higher than anticipated, too. In fact, a petition was launched in the U.S. last month urging the company to commit to making affordable models, including the Equinox EV. Consider what’s happening with the larger and sportier Chevrolet Blazer EV: GM has decided not to offer the base 1LT FWD model, thus making the vehicle less attainable.
And while we’re at it, we need to keep an eye on the Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX, two new electric SUVs that are slated to launch in the first half of 2024 but will be built alongside the Equinox EV and Blazer EV as part of a platform- and battery-sharing deal with GM. For now, Honda has made no announcement about a possible delay, but that could change.