General Motors Once Again Teases its Upcoming Bolt 'Electric Utility Vehicle' Ahead of its 2021 Production Start

author: Manish Kharinta   

GM's fully-electric Bolt EUV will based on the Buick Velite, which is currently on sale in China.

In the past, U.S. automaker General Motors (GM) was responsible for introducing benchmark-defining EV technology. The company's efforts however were quickly overshadowed by Tesla and GM's futuristic electric models never advanced beyond concept stages.

Back in 2002, GM introduced its hydrogen-powered Hy-Wire concept, which was described as a revolutionary product by industry experts at the time. But it was Chevrolet Volt that became GM's first successful electric car eight years later.

The company followed Volt's success by introducing its battery-only Bolt EV hatchback in 2017. Now GM is developing a new Electric Utility Vehicle (EUV) which will share its architecture with the Bolt.

GM confirmed that its high-riding electric Bolt EUV will enter production sometime in the summer of 2021. The automaker recently teased the upcoming battery-only utility vehicle ahead of its 2021 production start in a TikTok video. 

The Bolt EUV will be introduced as a 2022 model.  

The Bolt EUV will be a badge-engineered version of the Buick Velite 7, which is currently on sale in China. Judging from the teaser images, the Bolt EUV will likely get LED daytime running lights and sequential turn signals which will be integrated into the same cluster.  

The outgoing Buick Velite 7 EV offers 311 miles of driving range according to the NEDC cycle. But we expect the U.S.-spec version of the Bolt EUV will be much more efficient, even though its battery pack will not feature GM's state-of-the-art Ultium pouch cell technology unveiled earlier this year.

GM might also offer the 2022 Bolt EUV with DC fast-charging capability, which can replenish a completely depleted battery pack up to 80% capacity in just one hour.

The Bolt EUV interior.

Up until now, the automaker has not shared any information about the launch of the electric-only model. With the popularity of crossovers and SUVs at an all-time high, and the upcoming Bolt EUV has all the makings to become a successful model for GM. 

Chevrolet first teased its Bolt EUV shortly after electric automaker Tesla launched its much lauded Model Y crossover. Safe to say, GM intends to use the Bolt EUV to rival Tesla's Model Y, as well as other battery-powered crossovers in the segment.

On the gadget front, the automaker confirmed that the Bolt EUV will be the first model to receive GM's Super Cruise hands-free advanced driver assistance system (ADAS).

Consumer Reports recently tested ADAS suites from different automakers and Cadillac's CT6 equipped with GM's Super Cruise suite managed to outperform all 17 models that participated in the semi-autonomous driving system study. 

Cadillac's Super Cruise even performed better than Tesla's Autopilot, and it is currently the best-performing automated driving system in the country.

The launch of the Bolt EUV was initially scheduled for the end of 2020, but it was later postponed as a result of the ongoing global pandemic. But with rival Tesla now the world's most valuable automaker, GM should be rushing to bring the Bolt EUV to market as soon as possible.

Manish Kharinta

Manish Kharinta is a automotive writer based in the Los Angeles area. He has worked for automotive industry websites TheSmokingClutch.com, CarDekho.com and CarBikeindia.com. His experience ranges from covering auto shows, to car reviews and breaking automotive news. Manish aims to bring forth his unique perspective on automotive design and technological innovations in the automotive industry.