General Motors will scrap production of its top-selling electric vehicle, the Chevy Bolt, bringing an end to one of the U.S. market’s most affordable EVs later this year.
The company said it will instead focus on EVs with a newer type of battery called Ultium, including the soon-to-launch electric Equinox and Blazer SUVs. The Michigan factory that manufactures the Bolt EV and the larger Bolt EUV is being retooled to produce electric trucks, the company said.
Analysts have long predicted that GM would eventually stop producing the Bolt, which runs on an older type of battery. But the news will disappoint some EV drivers who have given the Bolt a niche following since the car’s launch in 2016. Bolt EV and EUV were GM’s top-selling electric vehicle franchise last year, helping the company sell more than 20,000 EVs in the most recent quarter in the U.S.
“When the Chevrolet Bolt EV launched, it was a huge technical achievement and the first affordable EV, which set in motion GM’s all-electric future,” the company said in a statement.
With a starting price around $27,500, the Bolt EV is one of few electric options under $30,000 on the U.S. market.
