Chevrolet Bolt Pre-Orders and Deliveries Delayed: Report

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

Electric vehicle customers who want to get into a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt before anyone gets their hands on a Tesla Model 3 could be in for a wait, according to a report.

CleanTechnica claims that substantial deliveries of the 200-plus-mile Bolt won’t take place until January, with pre-orders moved from August to November of this year.

The report’s author spoke with GM dealer staff in southern California in the hopes of ordering a Bolt, but was told to come back in November to place a pre-order. Deliveries, he was told, will be pushed back from October 2016 (when the Bolt is expected to start production) to late January 2017.

Other would-be customers reported that their dealers are also not accepting pre-orders, the report states.

The compact EV, designed for roominess and expected to cost $30,000 after government incentives, is billed as the first affordable electric vehicle with a practical range. GM has always claimed that deliveries will take place before the end of 2016 — a year earlier than the Model 3. That’s still the automaker’s claim, but it comes with an asterisk.

Following the CleanTechnica report, GM restated that “limited deliveries will occur by the end of 2016,” which seems to imply that regular customers might not see the model before New Year’s Eve. The automaker has a partnership with ride-hailing service Lyft, so that company (or other fleet customers) could see the first Bolts that roll off the Orion Assembly line in Michigan.

[Image: General Motors]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Old Man Pants Old Man Pants on Aug 23, 2016

    Local Chevy store doesn't yet know when they'll get one in the showroom. But they'll let me know!

  • Compaq Deskpro Compaq Deskpro on Aug 23, 2016

    This will bomb hard in the US, but I bet it will do well in Canada.

    • See 5 previous
    • Shaker Shaker on Aug 24, 2016

      @Old Man Pants Hope it's not because your compressor has A-Fib...

  • Because Cars Because Cars on Aug 23, 2016

    Just yesterday I passed a car hauler with some new Bolts on it, so they are being built...

    • See 1 previous
    • Mopar4wd Mopar4wd on Aug 24, 2016

      Preproduction models are in the wild per a few websites. Should be with journo's shortly. Several have been seen in the greater Detroit area.

  • Indi500fan Indi500fan on Aug 23, 2016

    OK we're expanding our ongoing question/contest: Who makes the first retail delivery? Chevy Bolt Tesla 3 Elio Mitsu PHEV

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