Bolt production delayed... or not?

[roundpeg]

https://electrek.co/2016/08/20/chevy-bolt-ev-has-not-been-delayed-deliveries-2016/

Hard to know how to read these tea leaves. They conclude "not delayed" but as Labor Day rapidly approaches it seems to me that if deliveries to non-fleet customers were coming "by the end of the year" that we'd at least have pricing and option information available by now. Or maybe Chevy is just playing their cards very close to the vest.

Thoughts?

 

[mbepic]

Still very close to the vest but we are getting closer!

At Woodward Avenue, Detroit on the week-end; Chevy Bolt EV was on display as part of GM Chevy Promotion but I couldn't get the keys to open the door......no matter how much I begged.

Can't tell if this is a 'test' vehicle or 'semi-production' (show vehicle) but the fact that there was no VIN tag on dash would indicate 'test' designated for the crusher some day.

Unfortunately, my photos are too large to post here!

 

[DucRider]

The initial report was based on a comment by a salesperson at a dealership.
Cleantechnica is backpedaling, has esentially retracted their retraction and is saying it still might be true.
Original article:
http://cleantechnica.com/2016/08/19/chevy-bolt-launch-timing-delayed/

This is the kind of thing that somehow gains traction on the internet. Kind of like the "fact" that GM can/will only produce 25K Bolts a year or that Lyft drivers will get the Bolt first. Both sloppy "reporting" that I still see repeated.

 

[roundpeg]

Hence my "or not?" qualification (I did read all the linked articles).

So I am not necessarily buying into the "delay" rumor, but since the delivery date rumors were themselves pretty soft, the question is raised in my mind whether "later" in the rumored availability timeframe might not be a better bet than "sooner" given the lack of any other information to date.

 

[roundpeg]

Unfortunately, my photos are too large to post here!

Can you get them reduced in size? Would love to see them!

 

[mbepic]

Here's photos cropped from Woodward Cruise, Detroit.

 

[roundpeg]

Thanks!

 

[GetOffYourGas]

What are those rails on the roof? Are they perchance for an OEM roof rack? It doesn't look like there are attachment points for cross beams. But the fact that they are so prominent intrigues me.

 

[Diggle]

Wasn't the production supposed to start by October?

 

[roundpeg]

What are those rails on the roof? Are they perchance for an OEM roof rack? It doesn't look like there are attachment points for cross beams. But the fact that they are so prominent intrigues me.

I wondered about that too. I don't recall seeing those rails in the photos of any of the other preproduction cars.

 

[roundpeg]

Wasn't the production supposed to start by October?

That's what we were hearing but maybe that was merely an extrapolation from "end of the year" deliveries to dealers.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

What are those rails on the roof? Are they perchance for an OEM roof rack? It doesn't look like there are attachment points for cross beams. But the fact that they are so prominent intrigues me.

Good questions.

I wonder if they will offer a factory trailer hitch?

 

[Rivu]

I just came across an article where GM denied the delay in production rumor. I shared the article with Chevy bolt forum, you can check it out.

 

[roundpeg]

I just came across an article where GM denied the delay in production rumor. I shared the article with Chevy bolt forum, you can check it out.

They'd already denied it when I started this thread. The question I was really asking: If full production is supposed to begin in October, why haven't we seen the final specs, pricing, and options? No EPA ratings yet either. That's a lot of open issues for a car that is supposed to be appearing in a matter of weeks.

 

[Eastocean]

LG announced mid-august that they were starting full production of their major components. In a previous GM car, the Solstice, they started production in September, and delivered mine (#4723) in early November. So the "by end of year" timing works.

 

[laev]

This article states that has not been delayed

https://electrek.co/2016/08/20/chevy-bolt-ev-has-not-been-delayed-deliveries-2016/

 

[roundpeg]

Yes, we already know what Chevy said.

My question remains the same, however.

 

[SeanNelson]

I just came across an article where GM denied the delay in production rumor. I shared the article with Chevy bolt forum, you can check it out.

The question I was really asking: If full production is supposed to begin in October, why haven't we seen the final specs, pricing, and options? No EPA ratings yet either. That's a lot of open issues for a car that is supposed to be appearing in a matter of weeks.

I agree that publication of the order guide is late by normal standards. The 2016 Volt order guide was available in April 2015 even though it didn't enter production until the fall.

That having been said, I suspect that GM is trying to play its cards close to its vest because the EV market is in a lot of flux right now. The Bolt is about to go onto the market with precedent-setting range and price points, so other manufacturers such as Nissan and VW are announcing plans for their own longer-range electric vehicles. I imagine GM wants to hear as many of those announcements before it crystallizes the Bolt options and prices in stone by publishing them in the order book.

 

[mark111]

I just came across an article where GM denied the delay in production rumor. I shared the article with Chevy bolt forum, you can check it out.

They'd already denied it when I started this thread. The question I was really asking: If full production is supposed to begin in October, why haven't we seen the final specs, pricing, and options? No EPA ratings yet either. That's a lot of open issues for a car that is supposed to be appearing in a matter of weeks.

You have a point. It's getting pretty confusing.

 

[jimmyjon]

The initial article by clean tech has been removed from the internet and I haven't been able to find one that states there is a delay