Chevy Bolt is Ugly, Model 3 Still Poised to outsell if Attractively Designed

[apacheguy]

Glad GM is making a competitive EV. Kudos to them. Having said that, Tesla will squash GM. Just my 2 c.

 

[ebwb]

One word in caps for emphasis does not mean I am not calm.

All those options are not after market dealer options which is what is usually referred to as port installed options. They are GM options.

Everybody is reducing cost as time goes by and everybody can reduce cost with economies of scale.

And no one will do so more than Tesla.

Is GM going to have greater battery economies of scale than Tesla?

Is GM glider cost going to come down because they now sell 10.03M vehicles instead of 10M per year?

Or is Tesla reaping greater economies of scale in their glider production going from 50k units per year to 500k units buying glass,seats,tires, trim etc?

I fully expect Bolt to offer a Premier with options. Other wise you are leaving easy profits on the table. Nobody does that. There is always a percentage of the market that always wants more. That is why GM sells $70k pickups.

I don't foresee GM reducing cost $5k more than Tesla between Bolt launch and Tesla's launch of Model 3.

It appears LG Chem is already giving GM loss leader prices on batteries in order to secure orders for all the other high value electronics in the Bolt.

Sorry to beleaguer the point, but you've included port-installed accessories. These are identified with "LPO" on the Volt order sheet and are added on by the ADI (Accessory Distribution Installer). A 2016 Volt Premier with all factory options is $40,225.

At $37,500, Bolt is already at the upper end of what the market will tolerate for a small 200-mile crossover, which is why I do not anticipate a Premier trim on Bolt.

Tesla is wise to go with a small sports sedan for Model 3 because that segment of vehicle is more amenable to high pricing.

 

[scottf200]

Sorry to beleaguer the point, but you've included port-installed accessories. These are identified with "LPO" on the Volt order sheet and are added on by the ADI (Accessory Distribution Installer). A 2016 Volt Premier with all factory options is $40,225.

At $37,500, Bolt is already at the upper end of what the market will tolerate for a small 200-mile crossover, which is why I do not anticipate a Premier trim on Bolt.

Tesla is wise to go with a small sports sedan for Model 3 because that segment of vehicle is more amenable to high pricing.

You are right. We bought a loaded Blue 2016 Volt for < $40,000


Related to Bolt -- 60 kWh battery officially announced.

http://media.chevrolet.com/media/us.../us/en/2016/Jan/naias/chevy/0111-bolt-du.html[/QUOTE]

Image: http://i.imgur.com/nQuWaxR.png

 

[apacheguy]

How much overhead does GM have on the 7500 tax credit? It expires after they sell 200,000 units.

 

[TexasEV]

How much overhead does GM have on the 7500 tax credit? It expires after they sell 200,000 units.

If they're only making 30,000 Bolts/year it won't be an issue for a long time.

 

[eye.surgeon]

For those who are worried about Chevy beating Tesla to the table, don't be concerned. As long as Tesla sticks to it's usual design methodology and Franz delivers a beautiful car, they will sell QUITE well. Also remember the incredible charging infrastructure they have been building out for years now, that NO other car company has even BEGUN to try to match in terms of custom design or scale. The BMW i3 and probably the Bolt are/ will be great cars, but they fall short in design and that will affect their sales.

I like the look of the Bolt. Many find the X unattractive. Looks are subjective.

 

[mwulff]

This really could be a deal-breaking EV. If only Chevrolet would bring it to Europe I predict it would sell like hotcakes.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

This really could be a deal-breaking EV. If only Chevrolet would bring it to Europe I predict it would sell like hotcakes.

It's coming as an Opel, I believe.

 

[Spidy]

I also think that people will be disappointed with the Model 3 just like I was when I really looked at a 3-series the first time. You end up getting dozen of options just to have the features that ecobox Bolt has.

That doesn't mean it won't be a vastly superior car, it will just come at a much higher price point once it has all the features you want.

 

[etm33]

Few people will buy a Bolt if for the same money they could get a similarly-equipped Model 3; the Tesla brand has so much more cachet than Chevrolet.

Unfortunately, for large swathes of the country not on the coasts, Chevy dealers are *way* more prevalent than Tesla galleries/stores. My nearest Tesla store not over an international border is 4 hours away One must not lose sight of Chevy's market penetration and advertising budget as opposed to those who do know about Tesla. Several thousands of people may end up with Bolts because they don't know what the Model 3 is.

 

[TexasEV]

Unfortunately, for large swathes of the country not on the coasts, Chevy dealers are *way* more prevalent than Tesla galleries/stores. My nearest Tesla store not over an international border is 4 hours away One must not lose sight of Chevy's market penetration and advertising budget as opposed to those who do know about Tesla. Several thousands of people may end up with Bolts because they don't know what the Model 3 is.

Chevy dealers with an interest in selling the Bolt are not way more prevalent than Tesla stores. Even if they were interested, at a production level of 30,000 cars that's less than one car per month per dealer.

 

[manitou820]

The Bolt could be major competition for the Model 3. GM has several advantages:

1. Dealer network - I live in Colorado Springs, CO, but the nearest Tesla service center is still 90 minutes away. For entry level car buyers this is a big deal
2. GM has other profitable product lines to help fund the Bolt in the early stages. Tesla needs the Model 3 to reach profitability much quicker
3. Supercharger capacity and service center capacity - seems somewhat constrained with Model S sales. They will need to expand dramatically if the Model 3 really takes off, or face huge wait times and frustrated customers

A couple of big unknowns. We still don't know what the Model 3 will look like or how much it will cost. I love the Model S, but could care less about the looks of the X. A $35k Tesla will probably not have the interior and style of the Model S. It may be pretty disappointing to people who are use to seeing the Model S as the benchmark. The Bolt is relatively "normal" looking and that seems to work for most high volume cars. Think Civic, Camry, etc.

If Tesla car truly deliver on a 3-series competitor, then this may be a hot selling car. Honestly the sweet spot for me would be a $50-$60k fully loaded high performance Model 3. Bolt is too boring and cheap, Model S is too big and expensive.

Can't wait for all of the exciting cars over the next couple of years. Good times!

 

[Trev Page]

We're all speculating here (obviously), but the average transaction price will be much higher for Model 3 than Bolt.

Count on it. The quoted $35-37K base price is the only thing the Bolt and Model 3 have in common, Model 3 will be a much more upscale car.

 

[Cobbler]

The energy density of the Bolt battery is 13% less than a MS 85Kwh battery (435kg for 60kWh vs 540kg for 85kWh). Lets hope that Tesla can keep the total weight low enough to surpass the Bolt performance by a large gap.

 

[aronth5]

Is anybody surprised hat GM has already provided specs for the Bolt for a car that isn't even out yet, while Tesla has still not provided most specs for the Model X?

 

[coco81]

The energy density of the Bolt battery is 13% less than a MS 85Kwh battery (435kg for 60kWh vs 540kg for 85kWh). Lets hope that Tesla can keep the total weight low enough to surpass the Bolt performance by a large gap.

Model S is 2012 battery technology... I'm sure Model 3 will be even better in terms of density and efficiency. Maybe base Model 3 battery weights less than 350Kg.

 

[Breezy]

Is anybody surprised hat GM has already provided specs for the Bolt for a car that isn't even out yet, while Tesla has still not provided most specs for the Model X?

Just another thing that Tesla does differently than other automakers, in this case not necessarily better. GM always releases specs in advance like this.

 

[Cebe]

Successful Bolt is a lot better for Tesla than a failed Bolt, if you believe that BEVs are the way to go. If Bolt fails, it may slow down the wider acceptance of BEVs. On the other hand, if Bolt is successful, the education of the public is quicker and easier (think every GM dealer in every small town). And if GM keeps taking shots and Tesla, great, more people find out about Tesla ("Better than Tesla? Wait, what is this Tesla thing...")

 

[jesselivenomore]

The Bolt should take away all of Nissan Leaf's market, but as far as vs ICE, why would anyone spend twice as much for a slightly better Yaris?

$35k, check
200 mile check

Those are the minimum specs for an EV for mass market entry. However, for mass market ADOPTION, you need those specs plus an EV that is as good or better overall car than an equally priced ICE. The Bolt is not that.

 

[McHoffa]

The Bolt should take away all of Nissan Leaf's market, but as far as vs ICE, why would anyone spend twice as much for a slightly better Yaris?

$35k, check
200 mile check

Those are the minimum specs for an EV for mass market entry. However, for mass market ADOPTION, you need those specs plus an EV that is as good or better than an equally priced ICE. The Bolt is not that.

Exactly. If they'd put the Bolt tech into a nice 4 door sedan, they might have a winner (still no supercharger network though). With gas falling toward $1, the only way a regular person is going to choose an EV is performance and/or a desire to not have a tailpipe. I'm not planning on ever buying a gas car again, but most people are barely even thinking about EVs, especially with low gas prices. It won't last long, but people are short sighted.