Who would have ever thought Tesla and Chevrolet would be featured in the same article but here they are. Due to the announcement the Chevrolet Bolt will be ready for production and part of the 2017 model year, the pressure is now on for Tesla to step up to the plate and answer the call. While the models from Tesla are luxury –laden and the Bolt will be a simple hatchback the fact that both cars offer a 200 mile range on a single electric charge of the batteries, the two will be joined at the hip for quite a while.
When GM announced it was going to start production in October of 2016 on the Bolt, they also announced the car will easily offer the 200 mile range that Tesla has enjoyed for a while with the market cornered. In fact, this move by GM might force Tesla to get off its proverbial behind and get to work as their models have become stale as of late and the continued promise of a Model X with no deliver has done nothing to create any confidence. The most appropriate model to come out next may be the Model 3 instead of the Model X anyway.
The Bolt will be produced and build in the Orion Township, Michigan plant and offer an Opel twin to be shipped to Europe for buyers on the Old Continent. The goal is to be able to offer the Bolt for the $30,000 price range which will make it affordable for most buyers. This is a price Tesla hasn’t even come close to touching as of yet, but has mentioned the will be trying to offer their Model 3 in the same price range as the Bolt, another point of similarity to make them compete against each other.
Even though talks have begun around the Model 3 for Tesla they have yet to show up with even the slightest bit of a concept car, which thus far makes them all bark and no bite. Because of this there is a better than average chance the Bolt will give some of the EV market Tesla was trying to corner to Chevrolet dealers with its advanced technology that allows the longer range than most other EV cars. Unless Tesla finds a way to get a concept together in the next few months there is no doubt the Bolt will the out of the box first for this competition.
Both cars are expected to have the 200 mile range and show up in the $30,000 price range (which is really low for a Tesla model) but that is generally where the comparison stops. Most likely (and this is only speculation) the new Tesla 3 model will be a sporty coupe or sedan that actually shows up in a price range that is much closer to the $60,000 mark because they will fill it with luxury features which are expected on a Tesla model car.
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