GM CEO Hints at Chevy Bolt EV Return With Ultium Tech
General Motors ended months of uncertainty in late April when it said production of the Chevrolet Bolt EV and Bolt EUV will end this fall, right around the same time deliveries of the all-new Chevrolet Equinox EV are scheduled to begin.
However, a couple of days ago in a podcast for the National Public Radio (NPR) in the U.S., the automaker’s CEO, Mary Barra, hinted at a return of the electric hatchback.
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We’ll say it again just in case you forgot: the Bolt EV is an older model that was developed well before GM’s game-changing new Ultium platform, powertrain and battery. And upgrading it was simply not possible.
“The difference between our second generation and third generation, which is Ultium, is a 40% reduction in battery costs. And we’re leveraging the names of our vehicles that are well understood and known in industry,” Barra told NPR. “People, you know, who drive an Equinox today will understand what an Equinox EV, what that delivers to them. But, you know, Bolt is something that has built up a lot of loyalty and equity. So I can’t say more because I don’t discuss future product programs, but it was primarily a move from second generation to third generation. But that’s [an] important vehicle in our portfolio."
Barra was seemingly leaving the door wide open for a next-generation, Ultium-based Chevrolet Bolt EV to show up in a not-so-distant future.
Back in October 2021 when Barra and GM president Mark Reuss announced the future Equinox EV and Blazer EV, there was also talk of a “new entry-level EV,” with Reuss adding “we’re working on something else even below those from a price standpoint, but we aren’t prepared to discuss the details of that quite yet.”
Remember, the automaker aims to “put everyone in an EV,” but not all drivers want or need a crossover like the Equinox EV. It makes absolute sense to bring back a small car the size of the Bolt in the Chevy lineup. What do you think?