Quirky, weird designs are often associated with hybrids and electric vehicles. But, in an effort to ensure the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV was indeed a mass-market vehicle, designers took the stereotypes and threw them away.
The Bolt EV’s chief engineer, Mike Lelli, told Automotive News there was a concise strategy in developing a “regular car” kind of feel for the EV.
“If you’re going to go to the masses, it can’t be this quirky thing. There are lots of people who like the car not because it’s zero-emissions but because of the way it drives,” he said.
The Bolt EV’s design director, Stuart Norris, echoed Lelli overall, stating, “There was an emphasis in making the car special rather than stand out as weird. We need it to work for more than just the die-hard EV fans.”
Chevrolet applied similar knowledge to the second-generation Chevrolet Volt in an effort to lose some of the spacey styling and fuse in more conventional design.
And, if you had your doubts Chevrolet would invite the real people to take a look at the Bolt EV, shoo them away. The brand is working on ad spots incorporating the Bolt EV. Though, the EV won’t be the entire focus.
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I still like the stories about how Chevrolet will use the components of the Bolt to build an all electric sports car.. the FNR that was unveiled at the 2016 Shanghai Auto Show.