General Motors made the next big move in the global electric car space by announcing the price of the Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle in the US at around Rs 20 lakh (under $30,000). Unveiled at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the car will be ‘available at select dealerships in late 2016’.
The least expensive Bolt will start at $37,495 (Rs 25.1 lakh) before taking into account a $7,500 (Rs 5 lakh) federal tax credit which, GM said, means it would sell for $29,995. At this price, the car would be almost $5,000 (Rs 3.35 lakh) cheaper than the most affordable Tesla – the Model 3 – which will be available in the second half of 2017.
The electric Bolt claims a driving range of around 383km on full charge – a good 37km better than the Tesla Model 3 and considerably larger than any other electric car on offer in the market. Aesthetically, the car is almost the same modest hatchback concept that was shown at the CES earlier this year, with its smiling front grille, sleek LED headlamps, a sloping roof and sharp contours.
On the occasion, Chevrolet’s manager for car and crossover marketing, Steve Majoros, kept his cards close to his chest when asked about the number of orders for the car so far. He did reveal, though, that the interest in the vehicle is strong, including from corporate and government fleets. GM also plans to deliver Bolts to its ride-services partner Lyft.
The American carmaker has also kicked off promotions for the Bolt, including a website that lets buyers calculate the number of miles that they drive in a day and how much they would save by going electric. Personalities like Apple Inc co-founder Steve Wozniak, who expressed interest in the electric Bolt, have only helped the car’s cause further.
Source: CarDekho.com