Chevrolet teased an all-electric Blazer SS on Wednesday, which Chevy says will be the first electric performance model from the marque, in what seems to be a somewhat belated attempt to steal some of the Ford Mustang Mach-E’s thunder. Chevy says the Blazer SS will get here next spring.
Chevy gave almost no details about the Blazer SS in its teaser on Wednesday other than showing the charging port and a wheel spinning very fast. The Super Sport moniker, meanwhile, has been around for decades and suggests that Chevy has some serious intentions by affixing it to an EV. If I had to guess, I’d say that Chevy is shooting for numbers like the Mustang Mach-E GT Performance, which is 480 horsepower and zero to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. It should be noted, too, that the Blazer, at least in internal combustion form, is a little bigger than the Mach-E.
High performance in EVs is a bit easier to produce compared to their internal combustion engine counterparts, given instant torque in electric motors and all that, so I’d guess too, here, that Chevy will also emphasise handling and aerodynamics in trying to differentiate an electric SS model. I’m sure, too, that the Blazer SS will be pricey, given that EVs from GM are no longer eligible for the federal tax credit, and given that the Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Edition starts at $US67,995 ($94,391).
The purists will have to debate whether this is a real SS or not, given that it probably won’t be that loud and won’t guzzle gallons of fuel. I’m sure they already are, sight unseen, an argument I can’t wait to watch play out when every other manufacturer comes out with electric cars in their performance trims, electric AMGs and electric Ms and the like. Please just leave Mazdaspeed alone, Mazda. Mazdaspeed remained dignified till the day it died, and deserves, fully, to stay that way.