- General Motors has said that the upcoming Chevrolet Bolt, set to be released in 2025, will be the “most affordable vehicle on the market by 2025”.
- Using the new modular Ultium platform seen in all new GM EVs will help achieve a low price point, due to the architecture’s flexibility.
- A 2025 release would closely match rival Tesla, who plan to accelerate production of more affordable EVs to the second half of 2024.
What price will the Chevrolet Bolt enter the market at?
The news of the future Chevy Bolt’s affordability was confirmed in an interview with Automotive News and General Motors’ new North American president, Marissa West. West noted that GM saw record demand for the previous Bolt EV in its final year of production, 2023, which is part of the reason for the Bolt’s future return. During the interview, West also indicated that the Bolt would be the most affordable vehicle available by 2025, although a specific price point has not been given yet.
Ultium is one of the factors that will make the future Bolt so affordable. Even though the architecture is used on EVs as expensive as the $300,000 Cadillac Celestiq, its modular, flexible form gives it a wide range of applications, while the number of overall shared components allows GM to benefit from economies of scale, making budget EVs a reality on the platform. The Bolt will also be the first vehicle on the Ultium platform to utilise LFP batteries, which are cheaper and will save GM ‘billions’ on the Bolt.
It remains to be seen whether the future Bolt will make its way to markets such as Europe, where the compact EV game is hotting up with the likes of the Peugeot e-208 and MG4 EV. GM sold the previous Bolt in Europe under the Opel brand, but with that now owned by Stellantis, it would be interesting to see under what brand the Bolt could enter the European market.
