logo
2025 Chevy Blazer will be first EV pace car at Daytona 500

2025 Chevy Blazer will be first EV pace car at Daytona 500

USA Today12-02-2025

The Blazer EV SS can go from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds and boasts 615 horsepower.
Chevrolet will also have the Corvette Stingray pacing the Xfinity Series and the Silverado RST pacing the Craftsman Truck series race.
The 2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS will be the first-ever electric vehicle to pace the field in the Daytona 500, General Motors said Monday.
A pace vehicle leads the field of cars leading up to the green flag to start the race, but does not participate in the race. Pace vehicles also limit speeds for racing vehicles during accidents or track disruptions.
GM's first-ever all-electric supersport vehicle will set the pace for racers at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday for the 67th Daytona 500.
The all-electric Blazer is the quickest supersport ever for Chevrolet, reaching 60 mph from zero in 3.4 seconds. The Blazer EV SS — which is a production vehicle without performance upgrades — produces 615 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque in its performance mode the company calls 'wide open watts.'
'Chevrolet has a long history with racing — it's in our DNA — and the Blazer EV SS is a testament to that,' Scott Bell, vice president of Chevrolet, said in a news release. 'We're excited for customers to watch the Blazer EV SS — the quickest SS we've ever produced — pace such an iconic race this weekend.'
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Chevrolet has two more vehicles on display at Daytona: The Corvette Stingray will be the pace car for the Xfinity Series United Rentals 300 on Saturday, while the Chevrolet Silverado RST will be the pace vehicle for the Craftsman Truck series race on Friday.
Jackie Charniga covers General Motors for the Free Press. Reach her at jcharniga@freepress.com.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

GM to invest $4 billion in three US facilities as it ramps up gas-powered vehicles
GM to invest $4 billion in three US facilities as it ramps up gas-powered vehicles

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

GM to invest $4 billion in three US facilities as it ramps up gas-powered vehicles

By Kalea Hall and David Shepardson DETROIT/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -General Motors said on Tuesday it is planning to invest about $4 billion over the next two years at three U.S. facilities in Michigan, Kansas, and Tennessee as it moves to boost production of gas-powered vehicles amid slowing electric vehicle demand. The company said it will begin production of gas-powered full-size SUVs and light-duty pickup trucks at its Orion Assembly plant in Orion Township, Michigan, in early 2027. Orion Assembly was previously slated to build electric trucks starting next year. The move calls into question GM's plan to end the production of gas-powered cars and trucks by 2035. It was welcomed by the White House, which has imposed significant tariffs on imported vehicles to pressure automakers to move more production to the United States. In March, GM CEO Mary Barra met with U.S. President Donald Trump to talk about investment plans and told the president GM needed relief from California emissions and federal fuel economy requirements in order to expand U.S. production, sources told Reuters. Trump is set to sign legislation on Thursday to rescind California's 2035 zero-emission vehicle rules. "No president has taken a stronger interest in reviving America's once-great auto industry than President Trump, and GM's investment announcement builds on trillions of dollars in other historic investment commitments to Make in America," White House spokesman Kush Desai said. GM's Fairfax Assembly plant in Kansas is set to start building the all-electric Chevrolet Bolt by the end of this year, and GM says it will now also build the gas-powered Chevrolet Equinox starting in mid-2027. In a statement, the largest U.S. automaker said it expects to make "new future investments in Fairfax for GM's next generation of affordable EVs." GM last month said it is also investing $888 million at a New York propulsion plant to increase gas engine production. At its Spring Hill, Tennessee, plant, GM will add production of the gas-powered Chevy Blazer beginning in 2027. It will be built alongside the electric Cadillac Lyriq and Vistiq SUVs as well as the gas-powered Cadillac XT5. The gas-powered Chevrolet Equinox and Blazer are both currently produced in Mexico. The Equinox will continue to be built in Mexico once production starts at U.S. facilities in order to supply markets outside of North America. Mexico's economy minister Marcelo Ebrard said in a social media post he talked with GM and said there is no expectation of any plant closure or layoffs at the automaker's Mexican plants. GM said it expects annual capital spending will be between $10 billion and $12 billion through 2027, reflecting increased U.S. investment, prioritization of key programs, and efficiency offsets. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data

The Super-Affordable 2027 Chevrolet Bolt EV Is Coming Soon—Very Soon
The Super-Affordable 2027 Chevrolet Bolt EV Is Coming Soon—Very Soon

Motor Trend

time5 hours ago

  • Motor Trend

The Super-Affordable 2027 Chevrolet Bolt EV Is Coming Soon—Very Soon

We've known Chevrolet's next-generation Bolt, its most affordable electric model, was due later this year for quite some time. So while it might not seem newsworthy, at first, that General Motors effectively re-confirmed that fact in a humdrum press release touting investments in U.S. manufacturing, it's actually quite a big deal. After all, with many automakers scaling back their EV ambitions or frantically trying to spin up hybrids, GM is largely staying the course—a bet that's paying off handsomely, as the new affordable Equinox EV has sold so well, it's moved Chevy into second place on the EV sales charts. The new Bolt, which we've rendered above and will cost even less than the Equinox EV (pictured below and in the gallery), should push Chevrolet's electric sales even higher. The 2027 Chevrolet Bolt EV will begin production in late 2025, with availability likely starting in early 2026. Expected to cost around $30,000, it aims to offer nearly 300 miles of range and improve on the old Bolt's affordability and design. This summary was generated by AI using content from this MotorTrend article Read Next So, what did GM let slip about the new Bolt? The model year, for starters. Even though production is set to begin later in 2025 at GM's Fairfax Assembly plant in Kansas City, the new Bolt will be a 2027 model-year introduction. We're not sure that means anyone needs to wait until 2027 to buy one—most likely, the Bolt will become available early in 2026. The Bolt's price tag, though not confirmed, is widely expected to land at or around the $30,000 mark, while delivering near or close to 300 miles of driving range. Chevrolet has confirmed that the new Bolt will use GM's Ultium component set—the branding of which has changed—meaning it's likely to incorporate the front motor from the entry-level Equinox EV and sit on a similar platform, albeit one smaller and more carlike than that SUV. A big change is headed for the battery, which will be GM's first LFP-style (lithium-iron phosphate) pack, which will make it more affordable. (The company has a three-pronged battery chemistry approach.) The Equinox EV's relatively modest charging specs—it uses a 400-volt architecture, not a pricier 800-volt setup—and DC fast charging speeds max out at a so-so 150 kW—should carry over, again, in a bid to keep things attainable. Regardless, the new Bolt is expected to drastically outpace the old Bolt, which also was super affordable (something that boosted its popularity in its waning years) but suffered from outdated and slow fast-charging speeds of just 50 kW. That old Bolt (below) also delivered more than 250 miles of range, a big reason to expect the new one to land somewhere between that distance and the Equinox EV's 315-mile best. The Bolt's lower, smaller body relative to that electric SUV should help its aerodynamics, while its smaller frontal area will surely boost range even if its battery is smaller than its Equinox sibling's. The Equinox EV already sets a smart standard for basic-yet-functional interior design, and the Bolt will no doubt borrow heavily from that model—namely its Google-equipped digital displays. Though the Bolt will be cheap, the Equinox (as well as the stylish yet affordable Trax) shows Chevy is getting very good at designing low-cost interiors that don't feel low-buck or crummy. We're expecting the Bolt to be larger than before but smaller than the Equinox EV, as well as less upright-feeling than its dumpling-shaped predecessor. It's possible GM tries to inject a little more driving fun into the Bolt, something the old version, while comfortable and refined, sorely lacked. All of GM's EV learnings up to this point are being poured into the Bolt. The automaker has learned a lot about EV customers, their wants, and their pain points, as well as its own technologies; all of that will be synthesized through a filter focused on affordability and accessibility. We're excited to see the new Bolt, and more important, its price. After all, the affordable EV space is heating up. There is a new Nissan Leaf on the way for 2026, and Tesla has promised (again) a more affordable model to slot in beneath its current Model 3. And with the $7,500 EV tax credit in trouble, EVs that are both good and cheap—with or without tax credits—will be critical to serving customers eager to go electric, but less eager to spend big money to do so.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store