[AllenK]

I recently (1/13) put down an order for a EUV Premier (with Sun and Sound) at a high volume Chevy dealer in Charlotte, NC. I was told it will likely be four months before I can take delivery. Talking to both our salesperson as well as the sales manager for the dealership, I came to the conclusion that they were totally at a loss to give me an accurate time frame for delivery. Reading through the messages here as well on on a Bolt Facebook page, it seems that nobody truly understands the process or can give accurate information. Some people relate their own stories of delivery, but others seem to repeat rumors, half-truths heard from others, info given by clueless dealers: most of these stories seem like hearsay. Some people seem to be able to order and receive vehicles in a short period of time, others wait a few months (what I am hoping for), others seem to wait an inordinate length of time. A few dealers seem to have a small number of vehicles, most have none. The entire process is not, in any way shape or form, transparent, in fact it seems arcane and Byzantine. I'm sure that GM has their own metrics for how they allocate, assemble, and deliver vehicles, but nobody, at least nobody not in the upper corporate "know" seems to have a handle on this. There must by rhyme and reason to this. My question (s) is (are): does anyone know anyone in the elusive corporate know (not part of a local dealership), or, say, working at the plant," that can explain the process? Is GM prioritizing Bolt sales to fleet buyers (Hertz, Dominoes, etc.) rather than individual owners? In essence, does anyone have any accurate information? I am a patient person and have no problem waiting...but I would like to have some understanding of what the wait entails.

 

[ARob]

I suspect the best answer we have seen is a sales guy for a NJ dealer Dave, who tried to explain allocations.

I wouldn't assume dealers don't know, rather they won't disclose full details.

The times are unprecedented, at least in modern times. Shortages of new inventory, changes to the design/order/delivery process, economic troubles, supply chain issues... It is no wonder nobody has a straight answer.

 

[drmoose00]

It's a black box. I ordered Nov 4, my order was accepted a week later, and I take delevery next week. Others here ordered in the summer (or earlier?), and still havn't had their order accepted. There are others (in my area) who ordered after me and have already taken delivery. Dealer allocations play a huge role, but that can't be all it is.

It could certainly have to do with trim levels, options, and perhaps even color (?), as to what GM is running in a given shift/week. Combine that with delaer allocations and add in perhaps even unknown factors such as area of the country allocations, and you've got a order/delvery model that a turing machine couldn't solve.

 

[Johnny5]

Dealer allocation decides how many and when the cars will be sent to each dealer. I previously ordered my Bolt Euv Premier with S&S on October 4th from Simpsons Chevrolet in Irvine, Ca. Dealer projected 3 to 6 months of delivery time. As of Jan. 14, the car was not accepted by Chevrolet so I cancelled and got a model Y. I've seen in this forum that some people got their cars delivered in a month or two after ordering. I also see some people wait more than 6 months to get their cars delivered. So, this dealer allocation and the entire ordering system is a mystery to me.

 

[JJMat]

I purchased one last week from a dealer in San Diego, CA area and the Internet sales director told that GM is in fact prioritizing EUV Fleet orders and they got a GM communication stating they would in future get very few Bolts to sell directly to customers. I had put in a factory order in October but the order wasn’t accepted by GM even in Jan and realized this isn’t happening any time soon, and so looked around to see what’s available and purchased one that was available.

 

[Peter131]

I got very lucky. Walked into a Long Island dealer and got exactly the car I wanted the same day. But no federal rebate for me since it was December.

 

[Sci-Guy]

I placed an order for my ‘23 EUV Premier on 8/14 and took delivery on 10/14 (could’ve gotten it a few days sooner, but needed to wait until I could make time around my work schedule to get it). There are a lot of factors that play into dealer allocation though, as ARob said, they’ll not likely be straight forward about the details unless it puts them in a favorable position to do so. The dealer I ordered mine from is in Cincinnati and apparently they move about as many Bolts as any dealer in the country… but they’d been early adopters as well. I’d talked with another dealer who had been trying to get some but couldn’t. Their inventory manager directly told me that they were basically at the bottom of the allocation list because, they’d not bothered to even attempt to get any electrified vehicles all the way back to the Volt. I can’t say I blame the dealership as they’re pretty rural and if you drive by the lot it’s almost all Silverados - it’s in their interest to stock the cars that their local clientele want… and they want giant trucks. The downside is that now that they really WANT to get some Bolts, they‘re struggling. I do agree though, it’s pretty frustrating trying to get any info or understanding where things are in the process, how long it takes GM to officially accept the order, when it goes into production, how long delivery takes… especially when other automakers don’t have that issue. A friend ordered a Subaru Outback. He got direct emails at every step along the way, including when it went into transit. It’s sad, because it’s a stark contrast to GM and just goes to show what’s possible if they wanted to make even a modest effort to improve customer relations.

 

[Toyotiac]

I purchased one last week from a dealer in San Diego, CA area and the Internet sales director told that GM is in fact prioritizing EUV Fleet orders and they got a GM communication stating they would in future get very few Bolts to sell directly to customers. I had put in a factory order in October but the order wasn’t accepted by GM even in Jan and realized this isn’t happening any time soon, and so looked around to see what’s available and purchased one that was available.

I’m beginning to feel very fortunate about the details behind our ‘20 to ‘23 swap. The order for our ‘23 EUV was placed in late June (as soon as ordering opened) on an allocation created by the repurchase department. The car was built the first week in August and at the dealer by mid September. A family member is now starting to look for an EUV, and I fear he may be out of luck.

 

[Kila]

So we bought an EUV last December from a dealer who told us they get more cars to sell because they do their paperwork right. GM apparently likes that. The salesman said he was surprised to hear that; he thought doing paperwork right was just doing his job, but if this is true, some dealers don't and they get shorted for it.

 

[404 Not Found]

I purchased one last week from a dealer in San Diego, CA area and the Internet sales director told that GM is in fact prioritizing EUV Fleet orders and they got a GM communication stating they would in future get very few Bolts to sell directly to customers.

Are you sure he said EUV fleet orders? I could be wrong, but I picture most fleets using EVs. Domino's does for sure. I spend every day in North America's busiest traffic corridor and check every car carrier I see. I spot shipments of Bolts at least once a week. I saw two truckloads yesterday. They always seem to have an equal mix of all models, trim levels and colours. I bet one day soon I might see a load of all white EVs which would indicate a fleet order.

 

[MichBolt]

This is the best explanation of GM's allocation system that I've seen so far:

2022 Order?

Since I can’t find a 2022 EUV Premium in the color I want within 200 miles, I thought I would see if a dealer would allow me to order one. But two dealers tell me that GM will not allocate them cars like that. Basically telling the dealer what they can sell. Does this make sense? Would it be...

www.chevybolt.org

Unfortunately, it's not going to tell you anything about your specific situation. You're dependent on your specific dealer for that.