The 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EUV Will Be GM's Next Electric Car
General Motors is working on a new electric car that will be built in Michigan.
The new EV will be a Chevrolet crossover that is based on the same platform as the Bolt EV.
It seems to have been leaked by GM back in 2017 as part of a presentation about future electric vehicles.
General Motors recently announced it will build a new Chevrolet electric car in Michigan, with the new model set to be produced alongside the existing Bolt EV and ride on an "advanced" version of the same platform. It could even have a similar name—GM Authority discovered a trademark for Bolt EUV, which likely stands for Electric Utility Vehicle. We've now gotten our first look at the new EV, albeit covered in camouflage, and can see that it's a bit more crossover-like in appearance than the already crossover-y Bolt.
The new car looks larger and boxier than the Bolt, with a longer, less stubby front end. Despite it being positioned as a crossover, though, like the Bolt it is really more like a tall hatchback in the vein of the Honda Fit. We can see slim headlights, a grille opening at the base of the front bumper, and some nice boomerang-shaped surfacing at the corners of the bumper and the sides of the car. The A-pillar is simpler than the Bolt's, losing the odd quarter-window, but the EUV has an even more dramatic C-pillar and a floating roof design. The rear is a lot more covered up, but it seems like the EUV's rear window might be more raked than the Bolt's.
Back in 2017, GM CEO Mary Barra said that the company would offer "desirable and profitable vehicles" with a range of over 300 miles by 2021 as part of a plan to have 20 zero-emissions cars available globally by 2023. As a part of the presentation, an image was shown on the screen that looks extraordinarily close to the camo'd EUV aside from some minor details and a lack of Chevy badging. Could GM already have revealed this new crossover EV to us? Check it out below to see for yourself.
Our spies also got a look underneath the prototype, revealing a centrally located battery pack and a lack of the rear motor, meaning the new EV—or this prototype, at least—is front-wheel drive. (All-wheel drive via a second, rear-mounted electric motor could be a possibility.) The EUV likely won't hit that 300-plus-mile range target, as those EVs Barra talked about will be built off a totally new platform. But we expect that range could get a bit of a boost over the Bolt, which is rated by the EPA at 238 miles.
In the same November 2017 presentation, Barra said that two new Bolt-based EVs, both crossovers, would be out in 18 months. One would be for only the Chinese market, while the other (this EUV) would be for North America. Well, it has now been 18 months and five days since that presentation, and there are no new electric crossovers to be found. The change in production location for the EUV is surely a factor, and GM has been in a period of major lineup restructuring recently. But given how close to production these camo'd prototypes look, we think the EUV will make its debut by the end of the year, going on sale as a 2021 model.
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