A refreshed Chevrolet Bolt EV and new Bolt EUV (that’s electric SUV in General Motors talk) are on the horizon. The company recently named the two models as part of a longer list of electrified vehicle introductions planned by 2023.
The Bolt EUV teaser makes the vehicle look a lot like the Buick Velite 7. The what? You’ve probably never heard of the model because it’s built for the Chinese market, but it’s an electric SUV in the General Motors portfolio that could be rebadged as a Bolt EUV for America. It wouldn’t be unprecedented.
The original Bolt EUV teaser image distributed shows a fair amount of details of the model.Photo courtesy of Chevrolet
With a rebadging you’d likely get new front and rear fascia, as well as an interior enhancement, but the basic dimensions and styling of the vehicle would remain the same. The image put out by Chevrolet today shows a similar nose but different headlights than the Buick as well as familiar taillights but an added spoiler. This spoiler likely helps the model achieve better fuel economy in highway and rural road driving situations – something that isn’t a traditional Chinese market use case, which may explain the lack of such a feature on the Velite 7.
Turning up the brightness of the image in Photoshop further reveals many of those details.
While driving range (it too will be an all-electric model) and interior tech are mostly secret for now, Chevy has said that the Bolt EUV will employ the brand’s first use of Super Cruise, a hands-free driving technology that has been available for years in Cadillac models.
The Bolt EUV teaser image shown brighter thanks to Photoshop tech.Photo courtesy of Chevrolet
For the 2020 model year, the Chevrolet Bolt EV received added range, bumping its predicted mileage up to 259, a 21-mile improvement. For 2021, it’s getting a proper refresh. Expect to see new tech in the electric car and perhaps a larger infotainment screen, though GM is trying to maximize fuel economy and power-sucking electronics isn’t the way to do that.
The updates to the front and rear fascia of the Bolt EV give it matching looks to the Bolt EUV. The car’s taillights aren’t as sleek as the Bolt EUV’s, but changing that would cause Chevy to have to re-engineer the hatch. It’s also, perhaps, a signal that Chevy isn’t looking to completely clone the Bolt EUV.
The Chevrolet Bolt EV’s new look, brightened in Photoshop.
Photo courtesy of Chevrolet
We’ll know more soon. Both vehicles will go into production in summer 2021 and will likely be 2022 models.
