EVObsession>com: The much-anticipated 2017 Chevy Bolt will enter into production just 20 months from now, in October 2016, according to a pair of unnamed supplier sources.
According to the sources, the +200-miles-per-charge electric vehicle (EV) will go into production at the “underused” GM production plant in Orion Township in Michigan.
The sources also noted that the production target for the Bolt was relatively “low” — at 25,000 to 30,000 units a year. Considering that GM “only” sold about 18,800 Chevy Volts last year, it seems GM’s ambitions haven’t increased that much, and presumably neither has its limited advertising and efforts to sell its electric vehicles.
Presumably, the Bolt EV will attract a larger segment of the potential market, but the question is: will GM produce it to match demand?
Reuters provides more:
A GM source familiar with Chevrolet’s plans said the price would actually be “in the mid-$30,000s” but federal and state incentives to purchase “green cars” would reduce the consumer’s final cost to $30,000.
The supplier sources said the Bolt and a companion model for GM’s Opel subsidiary in Europe will be assembled at GM’s plant in Orion Township. The GM source said the company has not yet reached a final decision on whether the Opel model will be assembled in Orion Township.
The Bolt is being developed on GM’s Gamma global small-car platform, according to the supplier sources. The same basic set of components will provide the base for the next-generation Sonic, also due in late 2016, they said.
So perhaps an Opel Bolt is on the way as well? Perhaps there will be an announcement at the Geneva Motor Show.
When asked by Reuters to confirm the information, an official company spokesperson declined to comment, unsurprisingly.
The late-2016 production date would put the model on track to compete with Nissan’s andTesla’s next-gen models, which are expected to be entering production roughly around the same time.
That should make for an interesting period of time — with most of the major players in the market all coming out with their new offerings at around the same time.
According to the sources, the +200-miles-per-charge electric vehicle (EV) will go into production at the “underused” GM production plant in Orion Township in Michigan.
The sources also noted that the production target for the Bolt was relatively “low” — at 25,000 to 30,000 units a year. Considering that GM “only” sold about 18,800 Chevy Volts last year, it seems GM’s ambitions haven’t increased that much, and presumably neither has its limited advertising and efforts to sell its electric vehicles.
Presumably, the Bolt EV will attract a larger segment of the potential market, but the question is: will GM produce it to match demand?
Reuters provides more:
A GM source familiar with Chevrolet’s plans said the price would actually be “in the mid-$30,000s” but federal and state incentives to purchase “green cars” would reduce the consumer’s final cost to $30,000.
The supplier sources said the Bolt and a companion model for GM’s Opel subsidiary in Europe will be assembled at GM’s plant in Orion Township. The GM source said the company has not yet reached a final decision on whether the Opel model will be assembled in Orion Township.
The Bolt is being developed on GM’s Gamma global small-car platform, according to the supplier sources. The same basic set of components will provide the base for the next-generation Sonic, also due in late 2016, they said.
So perhaps an Opel Bolt is on the way as well? Perhaps there will be an announcement at the Geneva Motor Show.
When asked by Reuters to confirm the information, an official company spokesperson declined to comment, unsurprisingly.
The late-2016 production date would put the model on track to compete with Nissan’s andTesla’s next-gen models, which are expected to be entering production roughly around the same time.
That should make for an interesting period of time — with most of the major players in the market all coming out with their new offerings at around the same time.
