2022 BOLT EUV
Supply: Chevrolet
DETROIT – General Motors expects gross sales of its electrical Chevrolet Bolt fashions can rebound from a high-profile recall after a number of automobiles caught hearth to realize report ends in 2022.
“We see report numbers of gross sales and manufacturing for ’22, and we see ’23 being larger than ’22. We’re bullish on each EV and EUV,” Steve Majoros, vice chairman of Chevrolet advertising and marketing, advised media Wednesday.
The automaker restarted manufacturing and shipments of the Bolt EV and a bigger “EUV” model this week. Manufacturing of the automobiles at a plant in Michigan had largely been down since August, when the automaker recalled each Bolt that had been produced on the manufacturing unit since 2016.
The recall adopted the Detroit automaker figuring out two “rare manufacturing defects” within the lithium-ion battery cells of the automobile’s battery pack might trigger a hearth. GM is conscious of 19 automobile fires associated to the issue, a spokesman stated.
The fires and recall have been a major setback for the automaker by way of EV gross sales and its popularity, regardless of its battery provider, an LG firm, taking blame for the problems.
The Vermont State Police launched this picture of the 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV that caught hearth on July 1, 2021 within the driveway of state Rep. Timothy Briglin, a Democrat.
Vermont State Police
GM will try to relaunch the Bolt fashions to People beginning Thursday with a brand new nationwide tv marketing campaign for the vehicles, Majoros stated. Advertisements proven to media don’t point out the recall or fires.
“We predict we’ve got plenty of curiosity and consciousness for this,” he stated, including the promoting may have a “large presence” throughout the opening day video games of Main League Baseball. “I believe it is simply going to proceed with our promoting efforts.”
Majoros, calling it an “arm’s race,” stated the report Bolt gross sales expectations are largely as a result of elevated curiosity total in EVs, not essentially linked to record gas prices nationally this yr.
The Bolt EV went on sale in December 2016, whereas the Bolt EUV went on sale final yr shortly earlier than all of the automobiles have been recalled. The Bolt nameplates achieved report gross sales of practically 25,000 items final yr, topping gross sales of the Bolt EV of greater than 23,000 in 2017.
