GM To Boost Production Of Electric Chevrolet Bolt

Speaking at the annual CERAWeek energy conference in Houston, General Motors Chairman and CEO Mary Barra said that Chevrolet will start building more Bolt EVs at the Orion Assembly plant later this year thanks to the increasing global demand.

“Increased Bolt EV production benefits our customers around the world, our dealers and our employees, who are proud to build an affordable, ground-breaking vehicle that our customers love”, said Barra.

“And there is more to come because the Bolt EV is our platform providing a window into our all-electric and self-driving future.”

Barra said that the Bolt EV, along with the Volt plug-in hybrid and the Cadillac CT6 plug-in hybrid accounted for nearly a quarter of the industry’s EV and plug-in sales. GM also expects a strong performance in China as well, having introduced there models like the Buick Velite 5 and Baojun e100 along with the CT6 Plug-in.

“And this is just the beginning. We are well on our way to bringing at least 20 new all-electric models to market by 2023 – our next step toward a zero-emissions world”, Barra added.

Chevrolet produced 22,398 Bolt EVs in 2017, its first full year of production, according to AutoNews. The carmaker sold 23,297 units of the Bolt in the U.S. last year, despite availability being limited to certain states.

GM’s boss didn’t disclose figures considering the Bolt’s upcoming production increase, but said that the EV’s assembly line can be easily adjusted to churn out bigger numbers.