GM Exec Throws Shade at Tesla Over Model 3
The Chevy Bolt is a pretty impressive piece of engineering work and GM took it from concept car at an auto show to production show car in just a year. It’s an affordable EV with a range in the 200 mile ballpark, and it supposed to arrive later this year. Of course, the Bolt is not the only affordable 200-mile EV coming to market thanks to the Tesla Model 3. A car so anticipated that it managed to get people to line up overnight to put down a deposit to buy one. Thanks to its surge in popularity over Chevy’s Bolt, there has been a lot of talk about whether or not GM can come through with the more successful car.
Well if you want to know how Chevy feels about the matter, just listen to what GM’s VP of global propulsion systems, Dan Nicholson, thinks. At a speech in Detroit Nicholson took a shot directly across the bow of Elon Musk’s electric ship when he said, “It will be in production by the end of 2016, so it’s not necessary to put down $1,000 and wait until 2018 or some time after that.”
Now, to be fair GM has said the Bolt’s range is “about 200 miles” whereas the Model 3 promises more than 215. While that may not sound like much, it’s an increase of almost 10-percent and the Model three is supposedly slightly cheaper. GM says $37k for the Bolt with the Model 3 quoted at $35k. Still Tesla is bleeding money constantly, and they have a bad habit of drastically overshooting their ship targets thanks to delays. On that fact Nicholson just replied, “GM’s balance sheet is in pretty strong shape, so we don’t need to take $1,000 of your money just to hold a spot… and you can actually get it in 2016.”
Well this could turn into a fun few months for fans of EVs. Elon Musk, we patiently await your rebuttal.
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