2010 Chevrolet Equinox gets price cut from GM

The 2010 Chevrolet Equinox will carry a base price of $23,185, including its delivery fee, when the crossover goes on sale in June.

The restyled, re-engineered Equinox will cost $1,800 less than the previous generation, Ed Peper, vice president of Chevrolet, said today in a statement.

General Motors has said it hopes the Equinox will get 30 mpg highway, up from 24 mpg on the base model of the 2009 version. The Equinox's first four-cylinder engine and the addition of a six-speed automatic transmission provide the main boost in fuel economy. Other contributors include low-rolling-resistance tires, electric power steering and improved aerodynamics.

Chevrolet sold 13,226 Equinoxes through March, down 42.5 percent from this time last year. But that percentage decline is better than the brand's 48.5 percent plunge through March, as the U.S. light-vehicle sales rate lingers at quarter-century lows.

Last year Chevrolet sold 67,447 Equinoxes, down from 89,552 in 2007 and 113,888 in 2006. The Equinox was Chevy's fifth-best-selling light truck last year.

By Chrissie Thompson- Automotive News