General Motors desperately needed its next-generation EVs to make a good impression. The company is fighting Ford and others in a race to match and outperform Tesla, but it hasn’t had the best luck along the way. After announcing that Ultium-based EVs would not offer Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, GM issued a stop sale for the Chevy Blazer EV over software issues. The issues were bad enough for the automaker to offer an olive branch to early owners in the form of a financial reimbursement.
Edmunds reported that it received a letter from the automaker that outlined a $5,620 reimbursement for their 2024 Chevy Blazer EV. Since it lowered the EV’s price upon lifting the stop-sale order, owners who paid more might be eligible for some money back. The publication purchased a Blazer EV for long-term testing and noted that it had worked fine since a dealer installed a planned software update.
Beyond software frustrations, the reimbursement will be welcome for owners. The Blazer EV is still expensive after the price cuts, and Chevy missed its price targets for the Equinox EV, so GM’s stable is notably empty of affordable electric models. The automaker will revive the reasonably priced Bolt EV soon, but there’s no word on whether the move to an Ultium platform for the car would impact the price.
The move away from Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is seen as somewhat of a cash grab. By removing a software layer in favor of an in-house interface, GM can control subscriptions and other services that increase after-sales revenues. Of course, the tech still needs to work, so GM has its work cut out to keep things running smoothly.
[Image: Chevrolet/GM]
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