GM is retiring another gas-powered car at its Kansas plant to clear room for the next-gen Chevy Bolt EV. The facility will soon house a new “family of Bolt models” as GM brings back the popular, low-cost EV.
GM is retiring the gas-powered Cadillac XT4
GM announced it will retire the gas-powered Cadillac XT4 SUV in January as it prepares to reintroduce the Bolt.
The XT4 is Cadillac’s cheapest SUV, starting at $41,990. However, sales are down 12% through the first nine months of 2024 after slipping 28% in Q4 2023.
GM already announced plans in May to retire the Chevy Malibu to make room at its Kansas plant for next-gen EVs, including the Bolt. The Malibu will be phased out this month after over 10 million models have been sold since 1964.
Although GM said XT4 production would begin again on the same line as the Bolt EV, a new Reuters report suggests that no longer appears to be the case.
The report claims GM will now only build Bolt models on the assembly line. Production of the previous Bolt ended at the end of 2023.
Since then, we’ve learned there will actually be several Bolt EV models. GM’s president, Mark Reuss, confirmed that the new model would be a part of “a family of Bolts,” including an even lower-priced model.
Reuss said prices will initially start slightly higher than the $28,785 MSRP on the previous model, but it will be an upgrade with faster charging.
GM CEO Mary Barra claims the new Bolt will offer “an even better driving, charging, and ownership experience” with new tech. It will also be the first EV in the US to feature LFP batteries.
The company is expected to begin building next-gen Chevy Bolt EV models in late 2025 as a 2026 model year.
GM is investing $390 million in its Fairfax, Kansas plant to prepare it for re-introducing the next-gen Chevy Bolt EV.
Electrek’s Take
GM reached a milestone last month, selling its 300,000th EV in the US since 2016. The Chevy Bolt EV accounted for the great majority of those sales.
Chevy Bolt EV sales totaled 62,045 in 2023, 38,120 in 2022, 24,828 in 2021, 20,745, 16,418 in 2019, 18,019 in 2018, and 23,300 in 2017. In addition, another 8,582 have been sold in 2024. So, of the 300,000, over 212,000 of them were Bolt EVs.
The company is coming off a record 32,095 electric vehicles sold in the third quarter as its other Ultium-based EVs, including the new Chevy Blazer, Equinox, and Silverado EVs, are rolling out to dealers nationwide.
GM continues introducing lower-priced models, like the 2025 Equinox EV LT. Starting at $35,000, the company claims it’s the “most affordable EV in the US with +315 miles range.”
With the next-gen Chevy Bolt expected to be even more affordable, the new model could be GM’s biggest yet.
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