General Motors is doubling down on its Chevrolet Bolt all-electric hatchback with a longer, taller crossover version that will likely hit showrooms in the first half of 2021.
The larger Bolt, which Chevrolet calls an EUV, short for short for electric utility vehicle, was originally teased in March just prior to the coronavirus shutdown. Originally scheduled to launch as a 2021 vehicle, the new Bolt crossover will now premiere for the 2022 model year.
The current Bolt is set for a cosmetic refresh that will debut next summer for the for the 2022 model year. It uses a 66-kilowatt-hour battery pack, travels 259 miles on a single charge and costs just under $40,000. Chevrolet says it can fully recharge in 10 hours when connected to a 240-volt charger or recoup 100 miles of range via DC fast charger. It also sits on GM’s second-generation dedicated EV platform.
GM released information about a third-generation modular EV platform meant to serve multiple vehicles across several regions. In fact, it will be the basis for 19 upcoming EVs that will roll out across all GM brands.
But the 2022 Bolt is not included in that group. It will carryover mechanically and the Bolt crossover will share the same components. GM hasn’t said when the two Bolt EVs will upgrade to the new system.
GM also is keeping details about the new EV under wraps, but it will likely follow the general styling cues of the Chevrolet Menlo, an all-electric sedan revealed in China in February, according to Sam Abuelsamid, the principal analyst for research firm Guidehouse Insights. The Menlo is Chevrolet’s first pure EV to debut in the region.
The Menlo has more of an SUV aesthetic though Chevrolet describes it as a “sporty-looking sedan” with “lean muscularity” and a “blend of crossover and sport coupe styling.”
In the U.S. the new Bolt crossover will likely resemble Hyundai’s Venue or Toyota’s C-HR, Abuelsamid said. Both are compact crossovers that offer buyers a higher-riding seating position and a hatch in the rear for expanded cargo space. This silhouette is not unlike the current Bolt EV, which teeters between a hatchback and a compact wagon.
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Despite the shared hardware, the larger size of the upcoming EV will likely drive the range down by 10 to 20 miles, Abuelsamid said. That’s still plenty of range to be a competitive player in the growing EV market, however.
The current-generation Chevrolet Bolt also may see a price drop. Alongside its refresh, the adjusted price could hover just north of $30,000, according to Abuelsamid. The reason for the decrease is twofold: the cost of the battery will go down and GM no longer is eligible for EV tax credits, he said.
That means the new Bolt crossover will be priced affordably to attract buyers in lieu of tax credits.
In addition to an expected digestible price tag, the Bolt crossover will be the first Chevrolet vehicle to offer GM’s Super Cruise, a hands-free driving technology that combines a driver attention system with real-time mapping data that recognizes road patterns. The tech package has recently been enhanced to include lane-changing capabilities. Super Cruise was initially relegated only to Cadillac vehicles.