General Motors will reveal the production version of the Chevrolet Bolt at the 5 January media preview day of the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Other manufacturers are also expected to have vehicle world premieres at the event.
The Bolt EV concept was a world premiere at the Detroit auto show in January 2015. This was a bright orange five-door hatchback which looked something like the Mercedes-Benz A-Class. Unlike the Chevy Volt, the Bolt prototype was a pure EV and so had no range extender.
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GM attempted to trademark the Bolt name in the US but was rebuffed as Yamaha reportedly owns the rights to it. Whatever it ends up being called, GM says it will put a car based on this prototype into production in October 2016. Indicative pricing starting from US$30,000 was said to be the target starting price, GM stated at the 2015 Detroit auto show. This would mean the Bolt would be a rival for the future Tesla Model 3.
The production model should have a range of more than 200 miles, according to General Motors. GM is believed to be planning to make the car at an annualised rate of 25,000-30,000 units. There would also reportedly be a version for Opel’s LHD European markets.
GM confirmed Chevrolet Bolt production in an announcement at the Chicago auto show in February 2015. As expected, it will be built at Orion Assembly, some 30 miles north of Detroit. Two months later, the model name was confirmed but the news concerning Yamaha owning Bolt broke in May 2015. GM might instead sell the car as the Amp, Crossvolt or Strobe – confirmation is awaited.
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