GM’s Chevy Bolt EV, EUV Absent From 2021 SEMA Show
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Chevy typically rolls out all the stops for the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, bringing along crazy custom creations dreamt up by its engineering and design teams, along with a variety of production vehicles outfitted with products from its official Chevrolet Accessories line. This year the automaker presented the custom-built Chevy Beast off-roader, the 1957 Project X EV and a slew of other custom vehicles based on production trucks and SUVs like the Chevy Silverado, Colorado, Tahoe and Suburban – but the Chevy Bolt EV and Bolt EUV were suspiciously absent.
Given GM’s plan to launch 30 new EVs worldwide by 2025, as well as the abundance of pro-EV messaging coming from the company’s communications and marketing departments, the decision to have the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV sit out this year’s SEMA show seems odd. SEMA seems like it would be a great place to net these rather slow-selling vehicles some much-needed publicity, so what’s the deal?
We imagine both Bolt models are not present at SEMA due to the fire-related battery recall that was issued for them this year and the associated stop-sale order that came along with it. This means that customers cannot purchase either the Chevy Bolt EV and Bolt EUV even if they wanted to, as dealers cannot legally sell them. It may also be hard to come by examples that have already received a new, post-recall battery pack and any models without these battery packs would present a safety risk – especially if they were parked indoors.
The stop-sale order resulted in a steep decline in sales volume during the third quarter for the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV, with the nameplates achieving combined sales of just 4,515 units – placing them dead last in the segment from a cumulative volume standpoint.
It’d be easy to say the budget-minded and family-friendly Bolt models just aren’t suited to SEMA, but there are plenty of spacious EVs in attendance at this year’s show, including multiple Ford Mustang Mach-E models brought by Ford itself, as well as several privately-owned Tesla vehicles. For that reason, we think the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV could both be successfully spruced up for SEMA with aftermarket wheels and tires, lowered sport suspension and other upgrades. Unfortunately, though, they are absent from the show.
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SEMA is an aftermarket customization show. What aftermarket stuff even exists for an econo-EV? Who would buy such a thing?
So not to long ago Mary Barra said GM will catch Tesla by 2025. Considering that GM only plans to build 1 million EV’s in 2025, Tesla plans to build 4 million in 2025, and Bolt production being down, I just do not see how this is going to happen. If it is going to happen then you need to be putting all your EV’s in the spotlight whenever you can. No matter how big or small small the show is, you need to be there with your EV lineup. I couldn’t help but notice in the same interview when Bara was asked about the GM EV factories, Barra said “when I was at the factory a few weeks ago”. Seriously? Elon Musk sleeps in a trailer at the Tesla factory. At this point, I don’t know if Barra and GM board doesn’t have a clue or they are just trying to tickle shareholders ears.
WOW, if ever Sam were to have a opportune fox in the chicken coop moment!
A dig on GM about a vehicle with an issue, one that we all know, where Sam himself has reported that LG Electronics Inc. and their subsidiary, LG Chem will be splitting the cost of all recalled vehicles for replacement batteries, due to it being their issue.
SAM can not pass up the opportunity of the immanent internet search buzz of “SEMA” to post an article kicking dirt on GM about a quality issue that solely relates to one of their vendors. All the while pushing the notion that it is a GM sourced issue while boasting about the competition.
SAM you are a disgrace to your industry, vacate your chair.
Fastyle You’re hilarious and delusional. Also, a coward that hides behind a fake handle on the internet, calling for resignations. Maybe you should also ask Alex to resign too. Or maybe you should just STFU.
Some reality for you: this has nothing to do with digs or foxes or coops. Nothing, not even the recall prevented GM from bringing some cool bolt EV or EUV builds to SEMA this year. I’m here now and the show has many Teslas and Mach Es and countless EV conversions.
This is all about GM being GM… introducing a product, run into a few issues, see it underperform a bit and then throw in the towel. They could have brought bolt builds with no battery pack if they were so worried about fires. But that’s not it.
Will GM fix the Bolt battery fire issue? Absolutely. Will people remember it years from now? Probably not. But the opportunity of missing the exposure of something like a SEMA build this early on in the EV game, that GM will never recover. Ford gets it and they’re here with a few Mach Es that are pretty cool.
Fire yourself for dumb thinking, change your name to dumbstyle and stop hiding behind a fake handle.
Isn’t everyone on here hiding behind a “fake handle” on the internet? Are you not hiding behind your phone or computer screen?
I hope you’re not that dense. You know exactly what I meant by that comment.
There’s a big difference between using one’s real name vs. using a handle, while pretending to be be all tough and mightier than thou.
I seem to remember that John Wayne Gacy was not that nice a person. Not to disparage your sexual orientation, but the ‘Clown Killer’ who murdered 32 men and boys is a bit much.
I can’t control what my parents named me. My first name is not John it’s Wayne. I guess I could change my name if I can figure out where and how much it would cost but I’m 53 years old now so not much of a reason to change it now In my opinion.
Sorry – since you were complaining about Handles – I thought that you had chosen that one, which I thought somewhat peculiar to choose a handle that notorious.
My apologies.
No apologies necessary. You should of seen when I was a young man applying for a job what people thought, I got a lot of crazy looks lol.
Who’s being tough and mighty or hilarious and delusional, maybe it’s the ones thinking GM should bring their old tech to SEMA.
If the aftermarket industry felt the Bolt’s had “potential for customization” they themselves would have brought them to the show. The Bolt’s are not using GM’s Ultium technology and to think GM would use the show to promote the sell of, again, “OLD TECH” is ̶s̶i̶l̶l̶y̶ delusional thinking. should they have put a rebate sticker on the hood as well?
As far as the rest of your spat, [You know who] has a history of painting GM with dark colors, any chance he gets and with the obvious buzz of “SEMA” on the web, it was too good of an opportunity for him to pass up.
Will GM fix the Bolt battery fire issue Jake, if that’s your real name?
NO, LG will, it is their batteries that are the issue.
Say hello to you know who for me when you see him.
Noticed someone mentioned me, so I’ll chime in.
Fastyle – you call some delusional for “…thinking GM should [not] bring their old tech to SEMA.”
That’s ironic, given that the GM Small Block – which by definition is “old tech” – is by far the most popular engine at SEMA and actual vehicle builds.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how old or new something is. What matters is how well it works. Obviously, the Small Block works very well, despite its age. The Bolts also work very well, despite the temporary situation they’re going through right now.
The point is that GM should take every feasible opportunity to promote the Chevy = electric message, since that’s clearly the direction of the company and of the brand. The Bolts are the only electric offerings Chevy has at the moment, so they should be promoted. A few 2022 Bolt EV and EUV builds would have been what the doctor ordered at SEMA, and would have made headlines/waves.
PS: Sam is a journalist. Just because you don’t like the facts that he’s reporting on does not mean he has a stance on the topic at hand. In fact, this story was my brain child. Gasp! you should. So you see, your comments and conspiracy theories were misdirected. Go work in media a bit, you’ll get it. Maybe.
Yes, the GM Small Block works very well, one of the best if not THE best ever, so of coarse they are going to bring it to SEMA.
After all, GM has never stopped development of the “small block” V8, are you saying the LT2 is old tech? They did just debut a new version of the “Small Block”, but with old tech DOHC, old tech flat plane crankshaft etc. etc. it is still a “Small Block” (4.4 inch “bore spacing”). The whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts. I’ll bet they didn’t bring an example of the 5.7L 290 HP Iron Block and Head “Small Block”!
The point that “GM should take every feasible opportunity to promote the Chevy = electric message”, I agree, but obviously the “Chevy = electric message” that GM wants to promote is “Ultium” and it’s scalable and smart battery design (the whole “being” greater than sum of it’s parts) not the old tech cells from LG, why would they want to remind everyone of the battery issue.
You are the BMOC at GMA, so maybe you can ask GM why they didn’t bring the Bolt’s to the show, or Sam could have and included it in the article. Informative stuff, not just dark colored stuff like “fire-related battery recall” and “placing them dead last in the segment”.
When it comes to using words someone else used to label me back at them, fair game isn’t it?
By the way I have worked in media, a number of times, even the automotive media, right up until the recession when all the manufacturers cut their ad budgets, not since.
SEMA doesn’t need a fire hazard on the lot.