A few months after announcing its retirement, General Motors (GM) confirmed the return of the Chevrolet Bolt for the second generation. The electric subcompact marketed since 2017 will therefore survive with more modern components to ensure its competitiveness and durability.
General Motors boss Mary Barra announced the decision during a conference call with shareholders as part of the company’s quarterly earnings filing last week. Barra touted the model in June on the podcast Marketplace, while specifying that its abandonment was then attributable to its components that were significantly more expensive to produce than GM’s new Ultium electric platform. It was, in short, a trial balloon to test the reaction of the public.
To justify this choice to bring back one of the most affordable electric vehicles today, the CEO of the American giant explained that the Bolt “has recorded record sales and customer satisfaction and retention rates among the highest in the industry. It sold between January and June 2023 6871 Bolt in the Canadian market, an increase of 455% compared to last year. However, this growth is largely attributable to the shutdown of its production for a few months due to a problem assembling its batteries produced by LG Chem.
Interesting stat: over 70% of Bolt buyers were non-GM vehicle owners. It is therefore a very important product to conquer an external clientele.
More autonomy in sight
With 417 km in the bank, the outgoing generation of the Bolt already ensures great competitiveness thanks to its starting price of $38,943. Mary Barra refrained from advancing any technical data on her replacement, but specified that she will benefit from Ultium technology, the latest generation of batteries developed by GM.
This fact would suggest a gain in terms of autonomy as well as a greatly enhanced charging speed compared to the charging power capped at 55 kW of the current Bolt. Could we also hope for a power increase as well as the addition of an all-wheel-drive version? Everything is possible thanks to this modular architecture. One thing is certain: we want the subcompact to retain its reduced dimensions, which make it an excellent urban vehicle.
No production schedule has been presented for the moment, but it is argued that its development is accelerated by the latest advances in this area made by GM for its electric component.
