Tesla Seems A Little Shook Over The Chevy Bolt

The 2022 Chevy Bolt and Bolt EUV debuted this week, and a big part of Chevy’s sell on both cars was price. The Bolt will start at $31,995, while the Bolt EUV will start at $33,995, each several thousand dollars less than their Tesla Model 3 and Model Y competitors. Except now Tesla is cutting...

jalopnik.com

Couldn’t get your link to work, so I searched for it.

 

Thanks for the heads up - and the working link. Weird, wonder how I got a bad one in there.

 

The gist: Tesla cut prices after 2022 Bolt models introduced

https://jalopnik.com/tesla-seems-a-little-shook-over-the-chevy-bolt-1846296248

It's a little hard to credit the thesis in the article. Tesla adjusted its prices 3 times in 2020 (at least), and it's just as easy to conclude the timing is coincidental as it it to think cause/effect.

 

That's fair - and they do mention that they cut prices in other nations, and by larger numbers, than in the US.

 

The one major advantage that the Bolt has over Tesla is there is always a GM dealership/garage nearby.

 

With a nod and salute to the Bolt...I will say that I never once went to a dealership/garage since I picked up the car in April, 2018.

 

I ordered the 3 in December 2020, and it was already 8K cheaper...and with full time 4wd, a power pack increase from 76 to 82K (353 miles), a heat pump and other new additions. I did not ask for any of that. The story, about more for your money, is very late, and prior to the Bolt releases.

 

I would disagree on full time AWD ..... it is rear biased car with part time assist when it senses need to activate front wheel drive.... if you want to see real effect of squirrel type of rear end experience driving Model 3 in the winter.... go play with for a while....and you will find that electronics even so fast on Tesla is not catching up most of the time...

 

Why, yes, I'm sure GM has Tesla shaking in its boots!

Rich

 

 

I stopped believing consumer reports is a reliable source for reviews a long time ago.

 

I’m not talking about the reviews, just the statistics. Their statistics aren’t influenced by the unusual and non-enthusiast opinions of some of the reviewers.

 

I am not sure why somebody would believe that Consumer Reports manufactures statistics, or why somebody would think that they would conspire with General Motors to make the Bolt EV seem especially reliable.

What I do know is that I have no time to combat this degree of paranoia.

 

You are making inferences in things I never said. Never said they made up statistics. First part of my post was a joke. Never said they were biased towards GM or conspired with them.

I also never even mentioned CR. Do you have an affiliation with CR?

I made a blanket statement about ALL statistics and published results. Proper scientific research requires you publish the testing methods and questions ask so the process can be evaluated by others to verify the result or the validity of the test.

 

Back to the article discussion, I don't think Tesla lowered the model 3 price to compete with the new Bolt. There's still a huge difference in price between the two. It could be the other way around, though. Tesla has announced they will offer a 25K car (rumored to be a hatch) and Chevy, with incentives, is already there. I don't think Chevy is worried about Tesla, but I do think they are challenging them.

 

Back to CR. I have found their vehicle reliability data to be quite accurate in regard the autos I've purchased over the years (using their data as a guide). And, just because I think them accurate, I can still make decisions based on life-style choices. I've purchased several Jeeps over the years (have a 2009 two door Wrangler now). And CR is correct; they ain't reliable!!

Rich

 

I think this article is correct in the basis of their assertion, though "shook" might be hyperbolic. Tesla is very reactionary, and this response wouldn't be the first time they reacted to a competitor's offering (or even reacted to the Bolt EV specifically). People seem to forget or overlook that Tesla's entire Model 3 unveiling was targeting the Bolt EV (or what they thought the Bolt EV was at the time). I knew even in late 2016 early 2017 that it was a mistake for Tesla to promise a Model 3 that was as cheap as the Bolt EV, and it turned out I was right. The lowest MSRP Tesla should have ever listed for the Model 3 until this recent price drop was $39,900.

Regardless, though, this is Tesla's MO. They react and respond to anything they perceive as a potential threat. Sometimes it appears that they do so through surrogates, but other times, it is directly as a company. Besides the Model 3's unveiling targeting the Chevrolet Bolt EV, they've reacted to the Porsche Taycan's record around the Nürburgring, the Lucid Air's Laguna Seca record, the Lucid Air as a model in general, etc. Also, through their surrogates, they've very actively attacked the Electrify America Network, and as a company, Electrify America's build out has forced Tesla to rapidly expand their Superchargers in a way they wouldn't have otherwise.

And before anyone says that the Bolt EV or these other EVs aren't a threat to Tesla, the Bolt EV sells better than any other non-Tesla EV in the U.S. market. GM could flip a switch and sell 100,000 Bolt EVs a year in the United States. Porsche reported that the Tesla Model S was their number one conquest vehicle (i.e., more Tesla Model S owners than any other car owner purchased Taycans). The Bolt EV is a threat to Tesla because it goes against everything that Tesla stands for, and the Bolt EV is rolling proof that affordability (not flashiness and immature doodads) will sell more EVs. There's a cross section of affordability and capability, and the Bolt EV might, in fact, be closer to that than any of Tesla's current offerings.

 

... the Bolt EV is rolling proof that affordability (not flashiness and immature doodads) will sell more EVs.

I'm confused by this assertion. By all counts, Tesla sells more EVs. How does the Bolt EV prove this?

 

Dup

 

Matt Schumacher of Tech Forum at 100K miles. Lifetime average 244 Wh/mi or 4.1 mi/kWh. Battery capacity from Tesla hack software app showing 71.1 kWh-72.8 kWh

 

Matt Schumacher of Tech Forum at 100K miles. Lifetime average 244 Wh/mi or 4.1 mi/kWh. Battery capacity from Tesla hack software app showing 71.1 kWh-72.8 kWh

He must have been very gentle on that car.

 

The recent $15k pump in price of BTC helps offset the lowered price of Model Y/3s.

Regarding CR, they only poll subscribers, which is a tainted pool given CR recommends vehicles and even provides "Predictive Reliability Ratings". JDPower stats are far more statistically sound, but they only cover initial ownership, not long term ownership.

 

The recent $15k pump in price of BTC helps offset the lowered price of Model Y/3s.

Regarding CR, they only poll subscribers, which is a tainted pool given CR recommends vehicles and even provides "Predictive Reliability Ratings". JDPower stats are far more statistically sound, but they only cover initial ownership, not long term ownership.

JD powers also has a long term reliability, however they consider "long term" = 3 years

 

Agree, the Bolt is by every measure the most reliable, maintenance-free car we've experienced in sixty years of ownership of dozens of cars. In four years, it has never been back to the dealership, has never needed any service. I did add windshield washer fluid the other day and this spring may replace the windshield and back wipers.

And yes, that the Tesla can be had with all-wheel-drive is the one feature we up in the frozen-ass-end-of-nowhere really envy. Several avid skier friends who own Teslas tell me they would otherwise be driving a Bolt.

However, don't make the mistake of believing AWD somehow transforms the mis-named "all-season" tires into actual winter tires. This winter, I saw a M3 being pulled out of the trees on the road down from a ski hill. The retrieval vehicle had it back up on the road and I was able to get a close look; the all-season tires were more than half worn. One can just hear the driver saying, "But it's got all-wheel-drive".

jack vines

 

Agree, the Bolt is by every measure the most reliable, maintenance-free car we've experienced in sixty years of ownership of dozens of cars. In four years, it has never been back to the dealership, has never needed any service. I did add windshield washer fluid the other day and this spring may replace the windshield and back wipers.

jack vines

Yup. I actually went back to rotating my own tires for something to do. And I have hand washed it more times than all our other vehicles combined, in 45 years.

 

One problem with EV's in winter states and the lack of use of brakes is that they may have plenty of pad but the pads will corrode from lack of use and the pad material will separate from the back plate. A visual inspection may not be enough and even though your pads show plenty of life they may actually be bad. I know the brakes on my 13 Volt looked better at 90,000 miles than my Subaru Forester XT after a brake job with 300 miles.

 

Terry Hancock Good for you. My wife and I would love a Tesla, but honestly they are out of our price range. I am not saying that in a negative way toward Tesla. It is the same with a BMW or a Mercedes: more expensive than I can afford and when the car depreciates to the point where I can afford it repairs will be more than I can afford.

 

The only thing Comparable about the Bolt and the M3 in any trim is they are both Electric and have 4 doors. If they were ICE cars there would never be a comparison between the 2. The TM3 is more akin to a 4 door BMW M3. The Bolt is more akin to a VW GTi. You never ever see a comparison between those 2 cars.

 

I have an AWD Traverse and it is what is called "Real Time" (I believe that is a Honda Term) AWD. It only drives the front wheels unless there is slip detected then adds power to the rear. Either Chevy lies about it being real time AWD or they have a really good transfer system because in the Ice and Snow last week I never noticed any spinning unless it was all 4 wheels. I was even able to do donuts in a snowy parking lot. It was very comparable to my Subaru Forester XT with the 4EAT which is always AWD with a nominal split of 70/30 and will go to 50/50.

The Bolt on the other hand with factory tires is a nightmare in anything other than dry pavement.

No comment on the Tesla AWD system as I have not driven one long enough or hard enough to tell. I would expect though for the kind of launches it can do and not to have wheel spin anytime it is floored that it must quickly engage the front motor. The Bolt has about half the power and at 40mph on stock tires will start to spin when floored.

 

Tesla electronic reaction is very quick by all means.
But in some scenarios where milliseconds could cost you finishing in the ditch or accident vs option that could engage true full time power to both axles and have electronic decide power ratio between front and rear is more safe and it will reward drives with more confidence .
I'm not here to bash Tesla Brand. I own 2 of them and everyone in my family is Tesla owner.
But Tesla still need time to grow to the point to be above car makers who make cars that are really are ultimate driving machines. .... last sentences are not related to BMW but all cars that are in this rang of road warriors.

 

I have never had a slot car with 2 pins. On the smaller cars 2 pins would cause the car to bind in corners. I believe the magnets used in the motors doubled as what helped keep the cars on the tracks. There are larger slot cars that are closer to hand size rather than finger size that may have had 2 pins. I have only driven those a few times but I am pretty sure they only had one guide pin.

 

When I was a kid in a tennessee town, there was a nearby storefront that had a pretty large slot car set-up, for public racing. Early 60's. They had a modified oval layout with extra turns, and maybe as many as a dozen slots. Don't remember much else.
Up front was the Atomic Energy Museum.