Chevrolet Bolt Beats Tesla Model S To Capture Motor Trend Car Of The Year Award

Chevrolet Bolt EV

The 2017 Motor Trend Car of the Year award goes to the Chevrolet Bolt EV, which beat competitors including the Tesla Model S.

Honestly, picking a car other than the Bolt EV from the list of finalists (posted below) just wouldn't be right in this day of the 200-plus mile EV. Yes, the Model S fits into that category, but it's prohibitively expensive for the average consumer.

Chevrolet Bolt EV - in production now, arriving in December

For Chevrolet, this is its fourth Motor Trend award in three years.

"The editors based their selection on the Bolt EV’s performance in six evaluation categories: advancement in design, engineering excellence, efficiency, safety, value and performance of intended function."

Alan Batey, president of GM North America and Global Chevrolet brand chief said:

“Chevrolet is the fastest-growing full-line retail brand in the industry thanks to an exceptional vehicle lineup, which includes ground-breaking products like the Bolt EV. Being recognized once again as MOTOR TREND Car of the Year is a great honor for the entire Chevrolet team.”

Chevrolet Bolt on the stage at the LA Auto Show...with some new hardware (InsideEVs/Tom Moloughney)

Ed Loh, MOTOR TREND Editor-in-Chief said:

“Chevrolet is on a roll with new and compelling vehicles that have reset the bar for trucks in 2015, trucks and sports cars in 2016, and for 2017, electric cars. The Bolt EV is certainly a game changing vehicle and we look forward to seeing whether we’ll be recognizing another Chevrolet next year in our annual awards.”

Motor Trend's verdict:

The Groundbreaking Chevrolet Bolt EV is the car of tomorrow. Today.

Chevrolet Bolt EV Interior - With Some Help From LG

That sound? It’s almost imperceptible, but it’s there. The soft rustle of air over steel and glass, the muted hum of rubber on tarmac, the faint whirr of spinning metals. It’s the sound of electrons at work, the sound of electrical energy being converted into motion, the sound of the automotive world shifting on its axis. It’s the sound of the 2017 Motor Trend Car of the Year, the Chevrolet Bolt EV.

The Bolt EV is not GM’s first pure electric car. The company has been experimenting with electric vehicles for decades, stuffing batteries into Corvairs in the mid-1960s and developing the fiendishly complex EV-1 in the 1990s. You can buy an all-electric version of the Spark from your friendly local Chevy dealer right now. But the Bolt EV is the first conceived from the get-go by GM to be a viable, affordable mass-market electric vehicle. And it’s a game changer.

Two numbers—238 and 29,995—are why. The first is the number of miles the EPA has certified the Bolt EV will travel on a full charge. The second is the price, in dollars, of the Bolt EV, after allowing for a $7,500 federal tax rebate. By offering that range at that price, the Bolt EV has made just about every other electric vehicle on sale obsolete. “Simply put, it’s twice the car for half the price of a BMW i3,” guest judge Chris Theodore said. “A better car, better package, much better handling, with twice the range.”

Even the folks at Tesla, the electric vehicle masters of the universe, have been put on notice: The Bolt EV sets a benchmark for value and performance they’ll have to work overtime to match. “This is a direct challenge for Tesla to make the Model 3 anything near the Bolt EV for the same price,” executive editor Mark Rechtin said. “Chevrolet has made affordable long-range electric transportation available to the masses. Elon Musk should be afraid. Very, very afraid.”...

read more at Motor Trend

Other 2017 Car of the Year Finalists:

• Audi A4
• Cadillac CT6
• Chrysler Pacifica
• Genesis G90
• Jaguar XE
• Porsche 911
• Tesla Model S 60/75
• Volvo S90

General Motors press release:

CHEVROLET BOLT EV IS MOTOR TREND CAR OF THE YEAR®

Fourth MOTOR TREND award in three years for Chevrolet 2016-11-14

Chevrolet Bolt EV Cutaway

LOS ANGELES – MOTOR TREND has recognized the Chevrolet Bolt EV — the all-new affordable electric vehicle offering an EPA-estimated 238 miles of range on a full charge — as its 2017 Car of the Year®.

The editors based their selection on the Bolt EV’s performance in six evaluation categories: advancement in design, engineering excellence, efficiency, safety, value and performance of intended function.

“Chevrolet is the fastest-growing full-line retail brand in the industry thanks to an exceptional vehicle lineup, which includes ground-breaking products like the Bolt EV,” said Alan Batey, president of GM North America and Global Chevrolet brand chief. “Being recognized once again as MOTOR TREND Car of the Year is a great honor for the entire Chevrolet team.”

It is the fourth MOTOR TREND award for Chevrolet in three years, with the Camaro recognized as the 2016 Car of the Year and Colorado named the 2015 and 2016 Truck of the Year.

“Chevrolet is on a roll with new and compelling vehicles that have reset the bar for trucks in 2015, trucks and sports cars in 2016, and for 2017, electric cars,” said Ed Loh, MOTOR TREND Editor-in-Chief. “The Bolt EV is certainly a game changing vehicle and we look forward to seeing whether we’ll be recognizing another Chevrolet next year in our annual awards.”

About Bolt EV

With an EPA-estimated range of 238 miles, Bolt EV owners can expect to go beyond their average daily driving needs with range to spare, when charging regularly.

The manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $37,495 includes destination and freight charges, but excludes tax, title, license and dealer fees. Depending on individual tax situations, customers may receive an available federal tax credit of up to $7,500.

Standard features include electronic precision shift, Regen on Demand™ steering wheel paddle and 10.2-inch-diagonal color touch screen. The top-trim Premier model adds leather-appointed seats, front and rear heated seats, Surround Vision, Rear Camera Mirror and more.