Chevrolet Bolt EV sales decreased in the United States while increasing in Canada, Mexico and South Korea in the third quarter of 2018.
Chevrolet Bolt EV Sales - Q3 2018 - United States
In the United States, Chevrolet Bolt EV deliveries totaled 3,949 units in Q3 2018, a decrease of about 41 percent compared to 6,710 units sold in Q3 2017.In the first nine months of the year, Bolt EV sales decreased about 17 percent to 11,807 units.
| MODEL | Q3 2018 / Q3 2017 | Q3 2018 | Q3 2017 | YTD 2018 / YTD 2017 | YTD 2018 | YTD 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOLT EV | -41.15% | 3,949 | 6,710 | -17.45% | 11,807 | 14,302 |
Chevrolet Bolt EV Sales - Q3 2018 - Canada
In Canada, Chevrolet Bolt EV deliveries totaled 511 units in Q3 2018, an increase of about 20 percent compared to 426 units sold in Q3 2017.In the first nine months of the year, Bolt EV sales increased about 50 percent to 1,944 units.
| MODEL | Q3 2018 / Q3 2017 | Q3 2018 | Q3 2017 | YTD 2018 / YTD 2017 | YTD 2018 | YTD 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOLT EV | +19.95% | 511 | 426 | +50.46% | 1,944 | 1,292 |
Chevrolet Bolt EV Sales - Q3 2018 - Mexico
In Mexico, Chevrolet Bolt EV deliveries totaled 7 units in Q3 2018, an increase of about 40 percent compared to 5 units sold in Q3 2017.In the first nine months of the year, Bolt EV sales totaled 15 units.
| MODEL | Q3 2018 / Q3 2017 | Q3 2018 | Q3 2017 | YTD 2018 / YTD 2017 | YTD 2018 | YTD 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOLT EV | +40.00% | 7 | 5 | * | 15 | 0 |
Chevrolet Bolt EV Sales - Q3 2018 - South Korea
In South Korea, Chevrolet Bolt EV deliveries totaled 1,573 units in Q3 2018, an increase of about 1,057 percent compared to 136 units sold in Q3 2017.In the first nine months of the year, Bolt EV sales increased about 1,029 percent to 4,695 units.
| MODEL | Q3 2018 / Q3 2017 | Q3 2018 | Q3 2017 | YTD 2018 / YTD 2017 | YTD 2018 | YTD 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOLT EV | +1,056.62% | 1,573 | 136 | +1,028.61% | 4,695 | 416 |
Competitive Sales Comparison
To say that the Bolt didn’t have a great third quarter would be putting it (very) mildly. In fact, Chevy’s battery electric crossover-car saw the biggest dip in sales volume in its segment, not counting the now-discontinued Volkswagen e-Golf.
The circumstance puts the Bolt EV in fifth place in the dedicated electric and dedicated electrified vehicle segment, behind the Toyota Prius, Honda Clarity, GM’s own Chevy Volt (see Chevy Volt sales), and the Bolt’s chief rival – the Nissan Leaf. Even so, the Bolt EV still outsold the Hyundai Ioniq, BMW i3, and Toyota Mirai.
Sales Numbers - Mainstream Small Battery Electric Cars - Q3 2018 - USA
| MODEL | Q3 18 / Q3 17 | Q3 18 | Q3 17 | YTD 18 / YTD 17 | YTD 18 | YTD 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRIUS | -19.37% | 22,754 | 28,221 | -17.28% | 68,925 | 83,322 |
| CLARITY | +3,428.21% | 5,504 | 156 | +2,402.63% | 13,314 | 532 |
| VOLT | +22.94% | 5,429 | 4,416 | -13.72% | 13,243 | 15,348 |
| LEAF | +15.32% | 4,027 | 3,492 | -0.50% | 10,686 | 10,740 |
| BOLT EV | -41.15% | 3,949 | 6,710 | -17.45% | 11,807 | 14,302 |
| IONIQ | -15.25% | 3,007 | 3,548 | +37.69% | 11,606 | 8,429 |
| I3 | -16.53% | 1,343 | 1,609 | +4.57% | 4,847 | 4,635 |
| MIRAI | +22.62% | 412 | 336 | +10.63% | 1,155 | 1,044 |
| E-GOLF | -92.12% | 64 | 812 | -68.88% | 840 | 2,699 |
| TOTAL | -5.70% | 46,489 | 49,300 | -3.28% | 136,423 | 141,051 |
We should note that Toyota Prius and Hyundai Ioniq sales figures are not exclusive to completely electric Prius and Ioniq models, but also include Hybrid and Plug-In Hybrid variants of each vehicle. The case is similar for the Honda Clarity, which is available as Plug-In Hybrid, Electric and Fuel Cell flavors.
The GM Authority Take
These results are very concerning, if not downright worrisome – especially given GM’s strategy of delving into diving head first into the electric vehicle space, with plans to introduce a bevy of EVs over the next 24-36 months.
Here’s to hoping that Chevrolet Bolt EV sales turn around in the fourth quarter, or GM knows something we don’t as it relates to the vehicle’s dismal third quarter sales volume.
About The Numbers
- All percent change figures compared to Chevrolet Bolt Q3 2017 sales, except as noted
- In the United States, there were 76 selling days in Q3 2018 and 78 selling days in Q3 2017
- In Canada, there were 75 selling days in Q3 2018 and 76 selling days in Q3 2017
- South Korea sales figures reflect actual vehicle registrations rather than wholesales
- China sales figures represent retail deliveries and not wholesales
- Toyota Prius sales include Prius, Prius Prime, Prius C and Prius V
- Toyota Mirai sales include Mirai fuel cell vehicle
- Hyundai Ioniq sales include Ioniq Electric, Ioniq Hybrid and Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid
- Honda Clarity sales include Clarity Plug-In Hybrid, Clarity Electric and Clarity Fuel Cell
The Chevrolet Bolt EV is a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) from General Motors’ Chevrolet brand. Officially positioned as a crossover by Chevrolet, the five-door subcompact hatchback offers over 200 miles of range on a full charge while also featuring advanced connectivity technologies designed to enhance and personalize the driving experience. The 2017 Bolt was first shown as the Chevrolet Bolt EV Concept at the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It is based on GM's BEV2 platform (a derivative of G2 platform) The Chevy Bolt EV received a few minor updates and changes for the 2019 model year, which is its third model year of the first-generation Bolt EV in the United States market. In addition to three new colors, the Bolt EV also received the following: The Bolt EV is assembled at the following plants:
About Chevrolet Bolt EV
Related News & Info
Comments
I grow increasingly concerned about the direction General Motors is taking under the leadership of Mary Barra.
And it just gets worse for Miss Mary Barra. These types of tweets are all over Twitter and elsewhere. Thing is, they have a point…
Charlie Kirk
Verified account
@charliekirk11
11h
11 hours ago
Congress spent nearly 50 BILLION to bail out failing GM in 2009 and GM is now firing employees and moving jobs overseas
Why are they opposed to 5 billion in funding for a Wall which would guarantee safety for American citizens and police officers?
I think you’re using the word “guarantee ” a little to loosely.
The word “leadership” and Mary Barra can be used loosely.
Traditional dealers simply do not want to sell EVs. Perhaps it’s just ignorance, bias, or due to the reduced follow-on maintenance revenue but in any case, they steer buyers to IC cars. Don’t think so? Go to a dealer and see for yourself.
The dealership where I worked last year had only 1 mechanic that could work on EVs. He was near retirement age, too. These EVs are usually ugly. Don’t forget you gotta install charging station on your home. That’s over and above cost of vehicle. Gas is so low now.
You don’t have to install a charging station. These cars have enough battery that you can commute to work and charge at 120V AC overnight.
Plus with L3 charging you can quickly pick up for deficits when needed.
Ontario removed a $12000 rebate so bolt sales are tanking there.
They should adjust the cost lower on the Bolt EV in Canada ??. The price was meant to gouge the huge incentive in Ontario, but now they have scrapped that subsidy. Why buy a $44K vehicle when I can just buy a Cruze for 20-22K?
They discontinued the Cruze to help us with this arithmetic
If I had to choose between bolt vs model3 hands down I pick model3 it’s a sexy looking car
Make a EV car like camero or Malibu look for demand skyrocket
If you choose women with the same criteria your in for a rough ride my friend.
Ronjo,
Are you saying that you prefer unattractive, homely and repulsive Women?
To each their own.Lol
I was thinking, beautiful, intelligent, loyal, reliable and successful – my loving wife, Cheers!
Listen to 1963 classic by Jimmy Soul, “If you want to be happy”, you’ll know what Ronjo is talking about.
Try to go buy a Bolt, you will QUICKLY figure out why they aren’t selling. The dealerships have zero interest in selling them and know nothing about them even though they have been out for several model years. This was my experience over the past 2yrs.
1)Signed up for email updates about it on Chevy website when it was released.. was never contacted
2) a year later, signed up at a event for any local Chevy dealership to contact me about the bolt… Was never contacted
3) 8 months or so later, I decided to just go find one, so I went to the only dealership that had ONE in all of Tulsa, yes a 900K population metro had ONE within a hundred miles. Asked to see a Bolt, the salesman held his thumb and index finger 2″ apart and said with a confused look on his face said “what kind of bolt” (he was serious, not joking)
4) they didn’t know ANYTHING about the car, they didn’t it’s range, what levels 1/2/3 charging was, battery size, charge times, they didn’t know what the Regen paddle was for or that you could 1 pedal drive
5) they didn’t even know they had a level 2 charger on the lot
6) the head of financing didn’t know that it had $7500 tax credit (even slightly argued with me that only the volt had it till someone else looked it up and corrected him)
7) had no clue how the tax credit and leasing worked together (the finance people!!! Not the salesman)
8) walked out and immediately contacted Chevy corporate, they put in motion for another dealership to contact me, all I got was a generic email, and one text from a salesman saying corporate wanted them to contact me. When I asked about how it works for the BOLT for December “everyone gets employee pricing” + leasing + tax credit question .. they never responded to another of my texts even though I text them multiple times asking to come in and discuss the bolt.
Take this experience and couple it with the fact that I’ve never seen a single advertisement for the bolt and it’s not rocket science why they aren’t selling, or why I’m dragging my feet about buying one even though I think it’s a fantastic car and would swap cars in a heart beat if they so much as even attempted to ACTUALLY sell me one.
The problem is not the car or the people buying them, it’s the dealerships.
Ergo Tesla’s kicking ass.
Unfortunately, this is almost the exact same scenario when inquiring about virtually any vehicle, even one that’s been around a long time. I can only imagine what it’s like trying to buy something non-mainstream like a Bolt.
I agree, just for a goof I sometimes stop and ask about a particular vehicle already knowing the answer. They have some real ignoramasses working the sales floor. They also make no effort to gain any knowledge of the vehicles they’re attempting to sell.
Once again GM has ZERO CUSTOMER SERVICE.
Define “CUSTOMER SERVICE”. I work at a Chevrolet dealership, have been here twenty-five years and forty-six years in the business. Customer service is different to every person. We give free oil changes for life to new car customers and many used cars that qualify, we GAVE AWAY 14,000 oil filters so far this year let alone the oil, we have a Lifetime powertrain program, have one of the largest customer retention in the country, “CUSTOMERS” still think we owe them more. It is not that dealerships don’t know how to provide “CUSTOMER SERVICE” its also all of us expecting more from others than ourselves. If we don’t like the way we are treated “once” we all seem to move on to the next provider of that service. KEEP IT SIMPLE…TREAT CUSTOMERS THEY WAY YOU WANT TO BE TREATED! ALSO TREAT THE BUSSINESS YOU ARE DOING BUSSINESS WITH THE SAME. I think the words of Rodney King speak it well “CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG”.
I’ve mever heard of a dealership offering a lifetime Powertrain warranty…
My wife and I had a life time powertrain warranty on our 2013 Chevy Traverse. But after an out of pocket expensive repair that wasn’t covered under the powertrain warranty and the extended warranty, we traded it off this year for a 2012 Yukon XL with 92,000 miles. On top of that, the extended warranty was about to expire and I just know something else would fall apart and cost a fortune. I sure hope this GMC is a more reliable vehicle than that Traverse was. We only had 57,000 miles on it when we traded it off. I’ve never had a vehicle with so poor reliablity. I’ve had 3 Silverados, an Isuzu Hombre and an 04 Colorado and they were far more reliable. The Colorado has been about average on reliablity and has about 200,000 miles now. The Silverado has been the best in my experience so far.
OK, BD, Ill try.
I want one answer at this time, just one. I have three newer GM vehicles, 2014,2015,2017. Receive letters from GM on all of them, this is a recall, this is a customer satisfaction letter, whatever OK. I go the my local dealer with the letter, they do the repair, and charge me. OK that’s great I want NOTHING FROM GM, or any DEALERSHIP FOR FREE. I can take care of my own vehicle. Here is the ZERO CUSTOMER SERVICE. When I call the 1800# on the letter saying the dealership charged me for the first repair and I was NOT going to take the vehicle back for the rest of these letters the person on the phone said ” it should be FREE.” The next day I get a call from the dealership saying “No we are correct it is not free” BUT, BUT, BUT, then I get another letter on something different that says the same thing. YOU TELL ME WHO TO TALK TO? If GM is NOT going to do the repair on a part GM is sending me a letter on, that is faulty GREAT. This is going to, finally after 38 years, send me to another brand that WILL fix ALL KNOWN FAULTY PARTS.
But WHO do I call to say ” Quit sending me letters that say GM will fix something you know is faulty for free if your NOT going to.” Sure you can send me a letter saying ” your 2014 Cadillac has these parts we KNOW are FAULTY so just letting you know when your car downshift without warning, you know why, or we have upgraded the software in your automatic crash response system so if you want the latest version you need an upgrade” and on your 2015 GMC Canyon” if the check engine light has a emission code it is do the KNOWN FAULTY evaporation valve, just letting you know.”
I ” ASSUME” someone has told the dealership NOT TO PAY.
THERE IS ZERO CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR THE CUSTOMER FROM GM. not the dealership. FOR THE CUSTOMER. You know, the person who makes ALL of this possible, THE CUSTOMER.
Can you answer a question for me. How long would you have a job if the CUSTOMER did not walk in your door? So WHY wouldn’t GM have CUSTOMER service, you know the people buying there vehicles. Sure for some people the dealership is a necessary, but NOT all. MOST people after warranty DO NOT take there vehicle to the dealership. Also MOST dealerships where I live sell MANY brands, so the loyalty to GM is ZERO. The CUSTOMER is the money person NOT the dealership and NOT GM. GM has ZERO money to pay the dealership without the CUSTOMER.
You say your dealership GIVES AWAY 14,000 filters, let alone the oil. I BEG TO DIFFER, Your dealership gives away NOTHING. YOUR CUSTOMER PAYS enough MONEY for your dealership owner to pay your wage, turn the lights on etc. and BUY THE OIL FILTERS some one is trying to convince you the dealership is paying for.
How many FREE oil filters are you giving away people NOT buying a vehicle from you? This is why you worded the used cars that qualify. If you do not make enough MONEY from the CUSTOMER for a certain used vehicle you the dealership are NOT buying the oil or the filter.
So one more time the CUSTOMER is giving GM money for a product and GM is allowing the dealership a share of the CUSTOMERS money to give back to the CUSTOMER to retain loyalty. This is WHY GM loyalty is at an ALL TIME LOW and getting WORSE. NO GM CUSTOMER SERVICE. Can you tell me one time when GM called you the dealership and said ” fix this vehicle for CUSTOMER X” PERIOD. Regardless of your opinion, just fix it PERIOD.” you know GM LOYALTY to the CUSTOMER.
If the dealership has NO loyalty to GM WHY is GM giving the dealership the CUSTOMERS money to maintain the CUSTOMERS loyalty.
GM CUSTOMER SERVICE
not
Dealership CUSTOMER SERVICE
your dealership gave away “NOTHING” since that free oil for life is calculated into every deal… And what will a BEV buyer do with that great freebie? When our ’13 Volt was towed to the local dealer after a minor accident popped the driver’s pretentioner, it sat for 2 weeks because no one could understand the computer was in a failsafe mode. I has a trusted local bodyshop come get it and it was back to us in a week. American buyers have always proved to be fickle, shallow thinkers in general, They were just as gashog crazy in the years prior to early ’08 when the big crash hit. This sent them into an econobox buying frenzy that soon filled used cars with all the big unwanted pigs. It’s a damn shame that most are still oblivious to the need of caring for our little spaceship here. That said it is possible that BEV buyers wiill soon adopt the smart phone approach to buying a car and may now be waiting for the next great thing. If so the big 3 dinosaur companies had beast wake up before they are part of the history books.
While the Bolt is a great engineering achievement why waste the money if this is how the car is to be marketed and sold? If Mary Barra thinks this is the future of GM she has another thing coming.
You are correct, sir.
Simply google “how dealers sell electric cars” and you’ll see all the points you made.
https://www.google.com/search?num=20&newwindow=1&source=hp&ei=ZF8rXNiZMcmYsgGSoqbYCg&q=how+dealers+sell+electric+cars&btnK=Recherche+Google&oq=how+dealers+sell+electric+cars&gs_l=psy-ab.3…2207.18103..18244…23.0..1.236.6205.15j37j2……0….1..gws-wiz…..6..0j35i39j0i10j0i203j0i13j0i13i30j0i13i10i30j0i19j0i22i30j33i160j33i21j0i131j0i10i203j0i22i10i30j0i8i13i30j33i22i29i30.tAJRTkpxmao
I think people are waiting to buy the Kona and Nero EVs that just came out. The Bolt is a couple years old now. The new Kona and Nero are better looking, have a longer range, have more amenities and have the same starting price as the Bolt. GM just need more EVs or the Bolt needs a refresh.
With a standalone all-electric brand, GM could focus on markets where these cars make the most sense, and their own dealers wouldn’t be working against them.
Is anyone really shocked right now that the Bolt is not selling well?
It has the most Plasticity interior in the Automotive Market. It is as if Fisher-Price themselves put together the Instrument Panel. It is to an almost embarrassing level of how cheaply the whole interior feels.
The seats are almost pure Garbage. Chevy offers no Panoramic Roof or even standard size Sunroof.
No Ventilated Front Seats. Power is adequate at best for an EV. Maybe they could offer a bigger size for like the enthusiasts out there that want that Tesla feel but cannot afford it.
GM has zero marketing on the car at all. So what do they expect?
Lets all hope that the Promised next round of EV vehicles from the General are much better attempts or it seriously might be Lights Out for this Company.
It is Mind Blowing to me that they cannot figure out how to make nice interiors at GM. The designs are fine but the materials are not good at all when compared to the rest of the Automotive World.
It cannot be that they do not know how but they just refuse to spend the extra money. That is even Worse in my mind. They knowingly rip us off.
Here is the deal.
EV models are still a limited market.
EV models built to a low price are still expensive for what you get and killing the tax credits are only going to make it worse.
The Tesla 3 is selling but it is no where near as cheap as the bolt and profits are limited. Quality also is marginal. Tesla will lose the real money maker soon with the coming Taycan from Porsche coming to market. Yes it has lesser numbers but it has name equity in a segment where brand image is more important as well as owning the latest and greatest thing.
The EV market as I have said before is a slow growth and only more advancements will lower cost and improve products. To do that you have to sell these models or no one will invest in the segment.
I expect a GM CUV and Volt. CUV to be coming and should do well.
It is hard enough to sell cars but making them EV in most of the country does little to help.
GM needs to focus one or two Cadillac models as EV and take on the S model head on. This will continue development and make the cars more profitable with higher price points. Below $50k there is little money to be made.
Till money is there to be made dealers want nothing to do wit EV models outside California.
I love it scott3 ” here is the deal ”
Right know there are 50 million millennials saying ” What is Porsche ”
I would like to try simply to explain Tesla to the motor head muscle car guy.
Remember when you were young and really wanted that ” whatever vehicle”.
You had posters of it.
You dreamt of it.
You saved and saved up for it.
Now you are 55 or older and have it
Millennials now think of Tesla that way. I know it is hard for a motor head guy to understand.
GM missed a WHOLE generation of vehicle owners. Sure middle America small town wants a ICE vehicle.
But the overall AVERAGE of the now LARGEST generation wants something different.
GM moving there Camaro engineer to something different is the right move.
Old car guys are fewer and fewer, sure you can still get by working on the performance stuff but just for a short time in the life of a millennial.
Its like the Model A, they were high priced when I was young. people were restoring them left and right. Now they are cheap anywhere.
Whatever I think this is fun to watch. GM with the trucks, Cadillac with the new stuff. Nothing great.
Everyone knows what Porsche is and have positive images.
Just because millennials can’t shift matters less in this case with a car with no transmission. The fact is Porsche is addressing the millennials directly here as the new car will be rejected by the old school owners.
Then you have the trendy people who make up most of the Tesla S buyers.
As for what people want it depends. The folks in California and the two states north of it may be fully committed in thinking. But the entire rest of the country it can vary much.
I fully grasp what is going on but I also don’t fall for much of the BS that is dispensed with this too.
The problem for all vehicles will be price. EV is out of reach for the majority and the reality is even many ICE vehicles are getting priced out of reach.
Price will play a very important part of the future as to what people drive. What that will be is what ever they can afford.
Another big issue is infrastructure. No one is really doing much in the way of charging stations out side select areas.
Might not too that Millennials are not totally sold out as they today are driving the price of air cooled 911’s up more and more.
The realities are this. Oil is not going to dry up for a good long while. It will also remain relatively cheap. So ICE will be around for a good while.
The one variable is government regulations. The changing of laws will driv3 more EV but it will not take over as not everyone is driving and living in Urban areas. America is not like Europe where trains are everywhere and driving from Rome to Paris is not like NYC to LA. Each market will have differences and needs that vary.
The Model A was never expensive unless it was a particular model. Same with Ts as there were just so many of them.
The key for electric is to make them as cheap to buy as ICE. To create the ability to charge a battery in near the time to fill a tank of fuel. To add more infrastructure so you do not have to go miles out of the way to charge,
Then you will have issues to deal with like urban areas with no garages. Where will they charge at night? Another issue is new changes will come faster like cell phones and computers. It will kill value of old EV models. A 5 year old EV will be like owning a Iphone 4 today. How will MFGs deal with lost value of old out of date product?
As adorable Tesla I still think there will be trouble ahead. They need money and it is just not coming in. In time the SEC will come down on Musk with his careless moves. They have a reprieve for now with him limited in his moves but when he returns he will do it again.
I see a future of mostly ICE and a growing EV base in America but not the complete elimination unless the US government rules ICE out. If they did that people would rebell as they have in France if not worse.
GM needs to start with EV at Cadillac. This will give them price to better cover cost and still make money. Also it gives them China to pick up a good part of the production.
Scott3,
Your comments are only relevant to the US and really don’t represent the rest of the world. The real drivers are China and Europe. The Chinese market will be 100% EV in 3030 which is only 2 auto cycles away and that market will be double the US market before then. Many cities in Europe such as London, Paris and Berlin are actively banning IC cars sooner than that.
If Americans fight this, their auto industry will be cleanly wiped out. (the small portion which is left)
That is right to the point, thank you.
Could not have said it better myself. Been stating this for two years now. Our Government (both sides) are just in too deep with Big Oil and our American Auto Makers are stuck in the middle of all this with zero Regulations to help them in the transition like the EU and as unbelievable as it is, China as well.
The year you stated is off it is 2030 not 3030 HAHAHAHA.
GM hopefully can come out firing on all cylinders in 2020 with their new batch of EV’s or I feel it might seriously be lights out to the American Auto Sector. GM is leading both Ford and Chrysler and who know if the latter two ever do anything proper in the EV space.
Love the irony in “firing on all cyclinders”! Perhaps we should say “sending max voltage”
HAHAHA. True
this is what happens when you take obama’s money you must follow his world view and global warming was front and center. I would not be surprised that GM had to agree to build these EVs to get the bailout loan. in Europe where gasoline is $8 a gallon they sell fewer EVs than here in the states. these EV cars are 20 years ahead of their acceptance by the car buying public.
Obama was an absolute disaster but that has no bearing on the need to care for our home. If you disagree, try sucking on one of your favorite tailpipe for just a few minutes. It is possible that you are 20 years behind the times, is it not? Be well.
I’ll take Downright Worrisome’ for $500, Alex.
The Volt (which is a fairly attractive car) will be discontinued and the Bolt (sorry Chevy, but this is an uninspired boxy design) will be retained. And now we hear that the Bolt sales are sliding. I am a Chevy fan to the core, but recent decisions about product mix are confusing.
the volt is not a zero emissions vehicle so GM gets no ZEV credits for its sales. they need the ZEV credits in some states to be able to sell PUs and SUVs where they make their profits
Why buy a Discontinued car?
The reason for the collapse in Bolt sales is very simple, Tesla is absolutely crushing the EV market and now that production is up and running, they are readily available.
That’s why GM is in full panic mode. Tesla is about to eat their lunch right under their noses.
young people would buy teslas if they were powered by unicorn farts. they think musk is some kind of god and is going to save the world.
If you get off the couch and go drive one, you may understand…
why should I give up my 2018 silverado ?? I don’t think the tesla could haul my ATVs and snowmobiles 200 miles one way to camp. since I live in the snow belt with the range dropping 25/35 percent in cold weather I could not use the tesla just to get to camp.
Well you might in 2020 when the Tesla pickup comes out. I agree with you that a Tesla for a Silverado owner makes zero sense right now. I think the main point is to just be open to the newer Tech coming out. And the absolute real point is that GM hopefully is working just as hard if not harder on this Tech than Elon Musk.
Tesla has a real opportunity to be a Million plus a year vehicles sold company very soon once the Gigafactory opens up in China. Do not under any circumstances sleep on Tesla. GM did years ago and are now paying for it.
hey motorman, it sounds like everything in your life revolves around burning dead dinosaurs yet your chiding unicorn farts? Read my previous comment of most Americans being shallow thinkers. I also have an HD Silverado in the garage (parked next to the Volt) for when I need to get work done but I hate the appalling MPG and will buy the first well designed, affordable and workable EV truck that comes to market. Oil will still have a limited use for plastics, etc. in a smarter future, but burning it by the trillions of gallons make about as much sense as waiting for unicorn farts. Be well.
how do you heat and cool your house ?? if you use natural gas and or electricty generated by natural gas you are also burning dead animals. if everyone in the world drove a EV how would you generate the power needed to charge them ?? it would take 500,000 windmills just to supply the power we generate now and each windmill takes up .7 of a acre .
I heat my house with Geothermal, ( electricity produced by my solar panels). truthfully I do not produce enough when the sun is not out. But I produce what I use in a year NET. This is NOT going to happen overnight. China and EU have this figured out, but again we have been at the oil deal for over 100 years now. Yes it will take time, and ALOT of money repositioned, but in the end, same amount of jobs, same amount of money made, just different.
Yep just like I said.
OLD guys would have bought a Corvette, old Cadillac, Camaro if they were powered by unicorn farts.
This is what old car guys don’t get.
The Tesla to the young is IT, just like what was IT for you when you were young.
And here is what is REAL, how many people convinced you to buy what you didn’t want?
I’m an old guy and would buy an EV if it made sense financially. Paying 45k for a Bolt that has the interior of a 75 Vega, no sale.
That is exactly why GM cant sell a Bolt, and Tesla cant make cars fast enough.
I love reading comments. the same people who say don’t put down that GM truck until you drive one, put down Tesla without driving one, its so funny.
I have driven both. You know they all want you to test drive there stuff. Go drive.
When I see people charging their Tesla cars behind a Whole Foods down from my house, I can’t help but laugh at them as I pull into a WaWa to fill up my 19 Cruze. I’m in and out in 5 minutes.
But the guy who shops at Whole Food drives the cool car and eats healthy… Lol
To me, my car is a lot better looking than any model Tesla. And I’ll bet you a million $$$$ any Tesla will be getting fixed a lot more than mine.
I bet they laugh every time you are getting your oil changed. Or lets see, after your done putting 36,000 miles on your ICE. Your car will be sold to someone and that person will have leaks, filters, oil changes, and old gas.
These people you see are probably on vacation because if they were at there home or work they would charge there vehicle for so less at there home while sleeping so they NEVER go to a charge station.
Get up, go to work, come home, charge car, get up, go to work, come home, charge car, never go to gas station or charge station.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, old guys, and law makers in the US are making this transition harder. TAXES, no gas tax for roads. No truckers to haul gas, less TAX. Less truck tires, less refineries, less oil, less storage tanks. I was wondering if just the power waisted pumping all the fluid around and hauling all the fluid around would be more than is used if all were electric. Pipelines all over the country pumping and pumping, leaking and leaking. I have never heard of an electric spill !! Sure now its slow. You do relies it took 100 !! years to get the oil industry up to speed and we still build pipelines yet. once you bury wires for the most part you are done. I have never herd of a electric environmental catastrophe. Just so much CHANGE, that will never work.
That automobile will never work, said the horse guy.
That gasoline will never work said the steam guy.
That electricity will never work, said the kerosene guy.
Geothermal heat that will never work, said the propane guy.
And on and on. The earth is flat. Humans can not fly. We never went to the moon.
This is fun.
The last laugh will be at the expense of these events owners when the battery packs have to be replaced at 10-15k and a dealer will not touch them at trade in.
Cheer up Tigger. Drown your sorrows in your favourite fermented beverage. Lol
Shades of when a friends dad paid a premium price for an Olds diesel in the late 70’s when they were all the rage and then later had a couple of thousand taken off his trade because it had said diesel engine.
Well I am sure those same people will be laughing once a mechanical issue arises with your Cruze or any ICE car really. So yeah good Burn I guess.
Next time you go fill up try keeping the motor running and sucking on your tailpipe for that “5 minutes”, then we’ll see who gets the last laugh and happy new year to you.
General Motors CEO Mary Barra’s response to this type of sales news would be to consider discontinuing production of the Chevrolet Bolt given that this was her decision to do with other slow selling cars like the Chevrolet Cruze and Cadillac CT6, cancel US production; but of course, Barra wants to electrify GM’s fleet and canceling production of the Bolt wouldn’t work even though she has announced cancellation of the Chevy Volt.
It’s rare to find someone who is simultaneously anti-Tesla and has driven one.
My 76-year-old dad supported Trump. Due to logistics, I’ve had to keep my Model 3 at his house and told him he can drive it as much as he wants — he eff’n loves the car.
So many people hate what they don’t know / haven’t experienced — it’s just a phenomenon. Anyways, Bolt isa good car, but Model 3 is simply a better value if you’re fortunate enough to be able to afford one.
Drove one. Equal parts impressed and repelled. Great power, but terribly rough suspension. Steering was meh. And the rain just clung to the rear windshield because of the angle and lack of wiper. Had to keep using the rear camera to see out back. Interior is very plastic-y and the seats look great but lack lateral and thigh support. The emergency door release handle is also weird as it appears to be intended for use. Also the reverse door handles just seemed unnecessary and make me nervous with little kids fingers in my household.
I wouldn’t say I’m staunchly anti Tesla but I’m not pro and I’ve driven one.
Not sure why your dad’s political opinions should affect his car preferences. If he supported trump do we expect he would only love gas and drive a hummer?
Also federal credits aside, these cars are very expensive. And the resale of used electrics is low. Might make sense to buy a 3 year used one in a couple years. Prob get it for 20k. Of course will the range and acceleration still be the same once the Panasonic battery cells wear and a few of them die?
Sound like you drove one of early production Model 3s – suspension and seats were upgraded earlier this year.
So per Mary Barra this is the future of GM. No big surprise here. Gas prices are dropping like a rock and nobody buying an EV when they can buy a gas powered Truck, SUV or Crossover and have cheap gas. That is not looking to change any time soon. I fear that Mary Barra has hitched GM’s wagon to a falling star.
Not surprising after seeing the amount of support and advertising the Volt got. Nobody willingly gets onboard a sinking ship.
Let’s also let the elephant out of the corner here that few bring up.
Even with a gas engine just how many of these little cars are you going to sell? Even at $20k the number of buyers are limited.
Then factor in the CUV craze and the numbers decline even more.
No reason to buy Chevy, Ford, Chrysler, etc. They make meidocre cars and marginally better trucks. They don’t push the bolt, don’t deliver it to dealers to sell and had the whackiest of rollouts for the car. The only reason I would ever consider buying the Bolt is that it wasn’t designed and developed in Detriot, where the exact opposite of innovation happens. #luddites
Plenty of Tesla’s around here, western Chicagoland, but I think they’re just a status symbol. Let’s see how the Porsche does, because they’re already ubiquitous. With gas at $2 and millenials living in their folks house or struggling financially with a young family a Bolt is a no go.
to me, the bolt was a proof of concept. it is a bit boring, generic, and utilitarian. it proved gm can build an ev and they did a good job. i’d love to get a used one but right now they are going for $30K with 10K miles so i’ll wait.
i’m looking forward to the next iteration. camaro’s guru oppenheiser is moving over to ev so dynamics should be pretty good. but they better come up with some great designs because boring and bland isn’t going to cut it.
the audi and porsche ev’s look pretty fantastic. the koreans are coming out with some nice vehicles for the mainstream market.
you don’t hear a lot about japanese ev’s but no one is hitting the panic button like some are with gm. i believe in gm and mary barra. 2019 will be exciting on many levels for gm.
What makes this article hilarious is that there is no mention of Tesla. If you ignore the elephant in the room don’t be surprised if it… steps… all over you.
It’s probably because GM loses money on every one they sell after maxing out the credits they get for selling low emission cars, which I’m sure they did a while ago.
I own one. Yes, it looks like a $20k car inside and out, but you have to consider: 5 year tco is equal to a $25k ICE car, it’s way more fun to drive than any $20k car. It’s as smooth as any Mercedes. One-pedal driving is magnificent- you can’t underatand until you commute in a car that has it.
I cross-shopped it with $25-$30k ICE cars. Nothing came close. Motortrend car of the year.
It’s America, we have been thoroughly brainwashed into believing we need huge pick up trucks. Stupidity, really.
Should have designed it to look sophisticated and sexy. Even EV enthusiasts like myself would prefer not to drive an ugly econobox with a cheap-arsed interior and bad seats.
Honestly I suspect GM doesn’t want to sell many of these Bolts since they are on record as stating that EVs won’t be profitable for them until the early 2020s. That may even be the reason for the nasty interior and ugly exterior.
I have no desire to purchase an overpriced car, with limited range. And If battery cars are to take off we need a better battery. Possibly Solid state batteries. As for me i’m going to buy an overpriced C8, so I can continue to subsidize overpriced battery cars.
EVs will sell when there are charging stations on every other corner like gas stations and takes 5 minutes to recharge.
Even if we ever get to the point of banning the sale of new ICE vehicles in the U.S, there will still be a lot of used ones on the road for a long time. This will require both types of energy infrastructure to be in place. I’d also question if the power grid can handle the increased load. If it ends up working in Europe, one key point is they embrace nuclear power much more than the U.S, and if anyone thinks the environmentalists throw a fit about refinery expansions they haven’t seen anything compared to building nuke plants in their back yards.
Totally agree! The US Navy has been running nuclear reactors for almost 60 years with a zero accident rate. That mostly due to the fact they have a standardized design with tons of safety factors in place, also they have a grueling and long training program for their operators which is basically the intellectual equivalent of what SEAL training is physically. The Europeans also reprocess all their spent fuel into more fuel that can be reused GREATLY reducing the amount of waste that has to be dealt with. Properly designed, run and managed nuclear can be the answer for many decades to come. The long term solution is going to be harnessing fusion power at which point we will have harnessed the energy of the stars and have a never ending supply of power.
For all of Tesla’s success, they still depend heavily on Musk’s ability to raise capital too. I think the jury is still out on whether they, or anyone for that matter, can stand on their own too feet without any mass subsidies. Until someone comes out with full electric versions of vehicles that sell, pickups, Jeeps, crossover and SUV’s of all size classes I’ll wait before believing it can be done profitably. Even today’s ICE vehicles are much more efficient than even the ones in the 90’s. Cylinder deactivation tech is just one thing helping in that regard. I’d like to see much more of a push toward vehicle to vehicle communication technology and a smarter traffic grid. A lot of fuel is consumed in getting a vehicle moving from a full stop compared to just cruising along, the same with idling in stop and go traffic. I think the solution is going to be an all of the above approach going forward, because in my opinion, twenty years is not enough time to bring the price down enough on the vehicles that people want. Further out, maybe.
Here is the REAL deal.
We’re committing self-genocide. Tariffs should be on gas cars… and the worse the mileage… the higher the tariff.
Sounds like the kind of economic advice you would have found in the Soviet Union. You see how their car industry did.
a look at a bolt battery apart. http://gmauthority.com/blog/2018/12/chevrolet-bolt-ev-battery-disassembly-video/
Everyone who wants an EV, wants a Tesla. Nobody wants any of the other EVs made. All these automakers thinking that EVs will comprise a significant percentage of their sales in 10 years, are crazy.