It lives up to the name.
Chevrolet has revealed a new plug-in hybrid version of the all-new Equinox compact SUV, but you can’t buy it in the U.S. Yet.
The Equinox Plus is going on sale in China this year and features a plug-in hybrid powertrain that combines a 1.5-liter turbocharged four cylinder with an electric motor to crank out a combined 365 hp.
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The Equinox Plus shares its body with the 2025 Equinox that will be in showrooms this June with a 175 hp gasoline motor and a starting price of $29,995. The Chevrolet Equinox EV that is going on sale this year is an entirely different vehicle.
It can accelerate to 60 mph in about seven seconds and is being offered with two battery pack sizes that provide 96 miles and 63 miles of all-electric driving, according to the Chinese rating system. Figure closer to 72 miles and 47 miles based on EPA methodology.
But a model based on the Equinox Plus is likely on the way. Chevrolet hasn’t confirmed it, but GM CEO Mary Barra announced in January that the automaker would add plug-in hybrids to its U.S. lineup as the adoption rate of electric vehicles slows down.
“Our forward plans include bringing our plug-in hybrid technology to select vehicles in North America,” Barra said during the company’s earnings call in January. “Let me be clear, GM remains committed to eliminating tailpipe emissions from our light-duty vehicles by 2035. But in the interim, deploying plug-in technology in strategic segments will deliver some of the environmental benefits of EVs as the nation continues to build its charging infrastructure. We are timing the launches to help us comply with the more stringent fuel economy and tailpipe emission standards that are being proposed.”
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“And we plan to deliver the program in a capital- and cost-efficient way because the technology is already in production in other markets,” Barra added, which was apparently a reference to the Chinese market models it builds through joint ventures.
Although GM currently imports the Buick Envision from a factory in China, a plug-in hybrid Equinox would likely be sourced from the Mexican factory that builds the conventional Equinox, in order for it to qualify for federal electric vehicle tax credits.
The compact SUV segment in the U.S. already features several plug-in hybrid options, including the Toyota Rav4 Prime and plug-in versions of the Ford Escape, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson and Mitsubishi Outlander.
General Motors had previously said it was eliminating hybrids from its U.S. lineup to focus its efforts on developing full electric vehicles and discontinued the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid in 2109. The all-wheel-drive Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray features a hybrid powertrain, but it isn’t a plug-in and is designed primarily to improve performance, not fuel efficiency.
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