Launched in the United States in December 2016, the Chevrolet Bolt is not perfect, but it’s a fair electric car for the price and segment. On the other hand, General Motors doesn’t plan to replace the Bolt until 2025. A lot of time, don’t you think?
Citing Autoforecast Solutions, Autoline Daily reports the newcomer will start rolling off the assembly line in January 2025. “That’s when the Cruise AV, which is the autonomous version of the Bolt, will go into production.” Both models are believed to ride on a vehicle platform that will underpin at least 11 EVs.
As a brief refresher, the Bolt is based on the BEV II of the Gamma G2XX family. An evolution of the Gamma II architecture, the BEV II features a torsion-beam suspension setup at the rear in the case of the Bolt. What’s more, Buick will soon take the veils off the Enspire Concept, an electric crossover with Bolt-sourced running gear.
Bearing in mind the electrified Chevrolet hatchback comes with a 60-kWh battery that’s good for 238 miles per charge, the next generation will do a lot better than that. As for pricing, bear in mind the Bolt starts at $36,620 before the federal tax credit.
2025 is still some years away, so let’s focus on the more immediate future. Late last year, the automaker announced that it'd launch two Bolt-based EVs within the next 18 months. 18 more electric vehicles will follow by 2023, including a Chevrolet Camaro-like sports car. If you’ve been keeping count, 20 EVs are in the pipeline.
When the electrification plan was announced, General Motors disclosed that it spends $145 per kWh. With battery-cell technology improving with each and every year, the automaker expects the price to throttle down to less than $100 per kWh.
General Motors depends on a volume-oriented portfolio of electric vehicles to rake in the profit. Otherwise said, chief executive officer Mary Barra expects to sell 1 million EVs per year by 2026. An important part of this plan is the next-generation EV platform, which will arrive in 2021 and underpin at least nine electric vehicles.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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