The Chevy Bolt Is the Ugly Car of the (Very Near) Future

[KentS]

Unfortunate title to a pretty fair assessment of the Bolt. Function over form is the takeaway.

 

[oilerlord]

The article was from December, 2016...roughly around the launch of the car. I found this interesting:

"Darin Gesse, senior manager of GM product strategy, admitted that design took a second seat to function. “We talked to customers about what they wanted and it all came down to range and price and range,” he said. “Everything else wasn’t even second on the list; it was like 9th.”

This proves that you can go through the focus group exercise, painstakingly research what customers "want", deliver on those objectives - but still fall well short of the mark. While GM can be applauded for accomplishing the seemingly essential criteria of a 200+ mile EV at a price point, clearly the rest of the car also happened to matter. The "everything else", 9th place stuff on the list was ignored. I wonder if "beautiful design" was 9th on the list. Perhaps "comfortable seats" were #10 on the list.

IMHO, the Bolt project was like a bunch of newly-minted MBA's were contracted to design, and market the next electric car. Not one "car guy" was in the room.

On paper, the Bolt is a home-run success. A Tesla killer. A game changer. Analysts estimated between 30,000 - 80,000 units sold in the first year.

http://www.autoblog.com/2016/05/09/2017-chevy-bolt-sales-prediction/

What happened???

The Bolt ended up being a nondescript econobox, that happens to be electric - barely managing 1000 units sold per month. Really, should we be surprised when logic and numbers dictated the project's outcome?

I think the Bolt could have been so much more, but at least GM's customers got what they wanted.

 

[ArthurL]

Function over form. I thought so to, and I like that. The Bolt works in all the ways I want it to.

But everyone that sees it in real life compliments the design. I like its looks much better in real life than photos or videos. One part of me figured maybe no one was knocking her just to be polite... you know Canadians. Then I'm at the car wash...(watch the charger door and fold the side mirrors)...I'm getting those last few drops off...and lady comes over. She wanted to know what model car it was. I tell her Bolt EV. She says really pretty car. I tell her about range and she says.... I like it because it's a pretty car.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[hodad66]

as I was sitting next to a Tesla X in Earth day, I was thinking that they couldn't pay
me to own that huge monstrosity. I'm perfectly happy with the Bolt (except for
the roofline) and it may be my last car.......

 

[powersurge]

People should not be brainwashed by the "FAKE MEDIA" that reports on electric cars. They will ALWAYs find something wrong with them... Electric cars are the "President Trump" of the auto world for many reasons. If its not looks, its range, charge time, size, or even "questionable longevity". If we think like the media, you will never buy an EV.

So they don't like the way the car looks? Then why are they bothering to even write about it?? Because it is newsworthy. It is a landmark electric car that has been recently introduced to deliver on what it is supposed to do. They also didn't like the looks of the Nissan Leaf.. I own a Leaf and love its different look. These cars are valuable approximations in the evolution of the future of transportation. If you want a "cool looking" car, then don't even talk about electrics. A cool Corvette or Lambo can't do what these cars, can do. So I say to complainers of the Bolt's looks... Keep quiet, and go buy something else... The rest of us will marvel at the Bolt, Leaf, and other EVs and buy them...

 

[wainair]

Sedans or Hatchbacks, Blonds or Redheads... I love both! I'm always scratching my head when I hear pundits describe the Bolt as ugly and I think it comes down to the fact that North American Car Pundits generally don't like hatchbacks. If you are predisposed to not like something you should let people know that before you present your opinion about something.

Generally speaking sedans are sexier but as far as hatchbacks go I think the Bolt is a good looking car! It's sleek and a little aggressive looking. Has cool headlights and tail lights. The interior, though not luxury, is well designed and does have interesting shapes and textures to look at. Hard plastics you say? Lets be honest, when is the last time you touched your dash other than to dust it? Plus hard plastics are much easier to clean when they get soiled. The texture they put in the white part of the dash is really cool looking and a nice touch(thank heavens they didn't do another faux leather texture!)! Could you make the car look better? Sure, but that is what the aftermarket is for! What fun would a car be if you didn't want to modify it a bit to personalize your car?

But you know opinions are like belly buttons and butt holes. Everybody has got them and half of them stink! :lol:

 

[oilerlord]

So I say to complainers of the Bolt's looks... Keep quiet, and go buy something else... The rest of us will marvel at the Bolt, Leaf, and other EVs and buy them...

The problem is, the "rest of us" are the tiny, less than 1% of the population that would buy an electric car - regardless of it's looks. Don't we all want more people to drive electric? I could be way off base, but I think if the Bolt ended up looking more looked like this:

...it may have have actually had a chance at being the game-changer / Tesla killer that analysts, reviewers, and GM were telling us it was going to be. Specs, numbers, & logic only goes so far...which I think are reflected in the Bolt's low sales numbers. Remember, GM "gave customers what they wanted" - price & range. If that's all that mattered, Bolts would have been selling like hotcakes but instead, there is a glut of inventory sitting on dealer lots.

The first thoughts that comes to mind when I look at the above photo are "beautiful car"...and "I want one".

 

[SeanNelson]

The problem is, the "rest of us" are the tiny, less than 1% of the population that would buy an electric car - regardless of it's looks. Don't we all want more people to drive electric? I could be way off base, but I think if the Bolt ended up looking more looked like this ... it may have have actually had a chance at being the game-changer...

I think it would be great if more people drove electric and I believe that GM's utilitarian hatchback competing with Tesla's sporty sedan is more likely to further that goal than if GM and Tesla were both competing with the same kind of car. You don't seem to understand this, but there are a lot of people like me who want hatchbacks, not sedans. You just have to look at how successful the Honda Fit is to see the truth of this.

And I think GM is better off selling the Bolt to a market that's not interested in a sexy sedan, because I think Tesla is going to have that market pretty much wrapped up.

 

[oilerlord]

I believe that GM's utilitarian hatchback competing with Tesla's sporty sedan is more likely to further that goal than if GM and Tesla were both competing with the same kind of car. You don't seem to understand this, but there are a lot of people like me who want hatchbacks, not sedans.

I never said the Bolt HAD to be a sedan. There are a lot of great looking hatchbacks too, just that the Bolt isn't one of them. You don't seem to understand that beautiful cars have an advantage over ones that aren't. Can you explain why the "game-changing" Bolt...only manages to sell ~1000 units per month? If we assume that GM successfully delivered price & range in spades...what else could it be? What are the reasons that are holding people back from buying it?

 

[WetEV]

What are the reasons that are holding people back from buying it?

Seats.

 

[SparkE]

What are the reasons that are holding people back from buying it?

Not available where you live yet. I have seen numerous reports of people in states where it isn't officially available calling dealers in CA to get cars. There are also a LOT of people in Canada that would like to buy one, but the wait is 4-8 months (if they weren't lucky enough to get one of the first set allocated).

Actually, can anybody in Canada verify this? If there is a Chevy/GM dealer where you live : stop by some time when you are driving by anyways, and ask about the Bolt, if they have any on the lot that you could drive away with today, and if not, how long would it take to get one delivered if you ordered.

 

[Eastocean]

I bought my Bolt BECAUSE it was utilitarian and not a sedan. My wife already a sedan. I have only had 3+ passengers 4 times in the last 5 years (including our sedan and the Leaf). But i have had real cargo many times, and only the Bolt (or the old Leaf) could handle it.

 

[SeanNelson]

I believe that GM's utilitarian hatchback competing with Tesla's sporty sedan is more likely to further that goal than if GM and Tesla were both competing with the same kind of car. You don't seem to understand this, but there are a lot of people like me who want hatchbacks, not sedans.

I never said the Bolt HAD to be a sedan. There are a lot of great looking hatchbacks too, just that the Bolt isn't one of them.

I hear a lot of people say this, so it must be true. But I gotta say that I don't understand it. The Bolt looks just fine to me, it certainly doesn't have any of the stand-out oddities that the Nissan Leaf and the BMW i3 do.

 

[BoltShopper]

I think one significant reason that sales are so low is that there is no advertising. I see ads for the Mirai and the Ioniq all the time. I've seen nothing, zilch, for the Bolt. The current Chevy ads are generic to Chevy or sell trucks.

Most of my friends have never even heard of the Bolt. (This includes my friend that just bought a Tesla.) Never, ever, heard of it.

If you're not a dedicated EV or auto enthusiast, how would you even know it exists?

I don't understand why Chevy isn't running Bolt - specific ads in markets where it is available. (I'm in NorCal).

It will be interesting to see the April sales numbers come out tomorrow.

 

[SparkE]

I think one significant reason that sales are so low is that there is no advertising. I see ads for the Mirai and the Ioniq all the time. I've seen nothing, zilch, for the Bolt. The current Chevy ads are generic to Chevy or sell trucks.

Most of my friends have never even heard of the Bolt. (This includes my friend that just bought a Tesla.) Never, ever, heard of it.

If you're not a dedicated EV or auto enthusiast, how would you even know it exists?

I don't understand why Chevy isn't running Bolt - specific ads in markets where it is available. (I'm in NorCal).

It will be interesting to see the April sales numbers come out tomorrow.

I see adverts in the San Jose Mercury News all the time : double-page occasionally (both left and right sides - the entire full page) and single-full-page a LOT.

 

[BoltShopper]

That's really interesting. Why would they pick print media and not TV?

Or, are the dealers running the print ads, and leaving it to Chevy to run TV spots? It sure would be nice if Chevy would run some ad campaigns like I see for other cars (often on ESPN).

I'm not sure of the target market - but I can't see how print ads would build up excitement for a new car, particularly not with millenials. But I may be biased since I haven't had a printed paper subscription in years.

 

[LeftieBiker]

The lease is another major reason the car isn't selling. There is a large segment of the market that relies on the $7500 tax credit to make EVs affordable, and GM is thumbing their nose at us with the lease offers. "We keep $5000 of the tax credit and then charge you another $5000 if you want to buy the car after lease" is not a very good sales pitch.

 

[Allelectric]

I wonder if this same reporter has done an article on the Honda Fit and called it ugly ?
If you haven't already noticed, the Fit and the Bolt look quite similar from the outside. A quick search of Fit reviews find almost exclusively positive comments on its looks. I don't find any "ugly"comments.
I find the bolt very sharp and attractive overall, and thank goodness not "look at me I'm different" like the BMW. I think it is a particularly modern/good looking hatchback
Another thing is that I needed a car to fit a family with tall teenagers. The Bolt was exactly what I needed and looks good doing it. I have a Soul EV for the same reason, I just wish it could come close to the Bolts range !

 

[SeanNelson]

Actually, can anybody in Canada verify this? If there is a Chevy/GM dealer where you live : stop by some time when you are driving by anyways, and ask about the Bolt, if they have any on the lot that you could drive away with today, and if not, how long would it take to get one delivered if you ordered.

I've talked to three different dealers here in Vancouver British Columbia and they all had the same story: our allocation is spoken for, there's a waiting list, no new Bolt EVs coming until the 2018 model year.

I don't understand how GM's process works, but I suspect that there's no advance warning of the dealer-specific allocations - they're simply announced to the dealers out of the blue. So I'm not sure how much stock to place in these claims. Do the dealers really know that they won't be receiving any additional allocations? That's what they seem to be claiming.

 

[oilerlord]

I think one significant reason that sales are so low is that there is no advertising. I see ads for the Mirai and the Ioniq all the time. I've seen nothing, zilch, for the Bolt. The current Chevy ads are generic to Chevy or sell trucks.

Most of my friends have never even heard of the Bolt. (This includes my friend that just bought a Tesla.) Never, ever, heard of it.

I haven't come across a single TV commercial, print ad, or radio spot for the Tesla Model 3 - but somehow 400,000+ people scrambled to get in line to order one. Advertising only takes you so far. Specs, logic, and numbers only go so far too. The Model 3 represents something larger than just a car. Tesla offers the complete save-the-planet solution encapsulated in beautiful products from their solar tiles, to the Powerwall, and of course - their cars. By comparison the Bolt feels like an afterthought from a company that would rather sell trucks. Again, I think the Bolt could have been so much more than it is - except that Mary Barra didn't have the vision to get it there, and it shows.

Love or hate the guy; Elon Musk is a rockstar. Watch the crowd during a Elon Musk product launch keynote address...the audience is hanging on his every word. They believe. While Mary Barra is selling 238 miles at $30,000, Elon Musk is capturing hearts & minds with the concept of saving the planet.