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Feann Torr7 Jan 2016
NEWS

CES 2016: Chevrolet Bolt revealed

GM beats Tesla to the punch with affordable, city-sized EV for the masses

General Motors has insisted the Chevrolet Bolt is the electric vehicle (EV) game changer the world has been waiting for, in its pitch to tech-savvy pundits at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

It's an affordable US $30,000 (once federal tax credits are factored in) five-door car that has a 320km or 200 mile range. Just plug it in, charge it up, and you're away – and you'll never have to visit a petrol station again.

Sounds pretty good in a world where you won't find a proper EV with decent range for under US $70,000, right?

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Sporting a subtle design that moves away from the Toyota Prius and BMW i3 'look at me' philosophies, the vehicle boasts a high-tech interior with large HD touch screens and even a special video camera-augmented rear-vision mirror that delivers an extra-wide view.

Specific details about charging times and battery size are still unknown, but motoring.com.au was there in Las Vegas to talk to Mark Reuss, former Holden boss and now the President of General Motors North American operations, about its ambitions.

"The Bolt achieves four critical milestones for an EV: utility with seating for four adults, a useable range, affordable pricing and connectivity," he enthused.

It also beats EV champion Tesla to the punch, delivering a mainstream, affordable electric car almost two years before the Tesla Model 3 arrives. Cheaper than the Model S, the Model 3 will likely sit further upmarket than the Bolt and is not expected to lob until later in 2017.

Tech-heads in Australia will be wondering whether the Chevrolet Bolt EV will be offered Down Under wearing Holden badges? At this stage it's unknown.

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The $60,000 Volt hybrid was discontinued here after languid sales and although Holden has not ruled out the Bolt at this early stage, it would need to be priced very sharply to be successful here, something that's exceedingly unlikely without government incentives, such as the US $7500 tax break offered in the USA.

The Bolt is also only built in left-hand drive to begin with, but right-hand drive (RHD) versions for countries such as the UK, Japan and Australia are possible, Reuss revealed.

"The Bolt is built on GM's new dedicated EV architecture. The Bolt is not available in RHD but there are no constraints because of the very flexible architecture," he said at CES in Las Vegas.

The Bolt also has an Aussie connection. A concept previewing the production model was revealed in Detroit one year ago, and was created at Holden's Design Centre in Melbourne under the eye of Richard Ferlazzo. And as you can see, the production car's exterior hasn't been altered much.

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We had a chance to walk around the concept with Ferlazzo in Las Vegas and he stressed several times the importance of creating open space in the car. It's also good to see the production car retains the concept's striking 'floating' dash and a large 10.2-inch touchscreen neatly integrated into the dash.

Ferlazzo also mentioned that the interior team worked hard to improve passenger space and because there's no transmission tunnel there's ample room for rear seat passengers.

More details on the Chevrolet Bolt are expected to emerge during the 2016 Detroit motor show next week.

What do you think of the new Bolt – is it a game changer, a Tesla killer, and could Holden sell it here successfully without government incentives?

Chevy Bolt Reveal Mary Barra

Pictured: Mary Barra, GM CEO with the Bolt at CES

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