The first batch sold out in hours, so GMs bumping it up. GM Earmarks 5,000 Chevrolet Bolt EVs For South Korea
I'm thinking that they will be a little more popular here soon.... Oil prices largely hold near 3-year high on supply risks - MarketWatch
GM Korea(formally Daewoo) did a lot of design work on the Sonic/Aveo and Spark. Plus, the Bolt's battery and drive train are supplied by LG Chem.
I'm surprised they aren't making them in South Korea. Isn't he plant where they made the Aveo's available?
GM was the 1st to get Uber low pricing for traction packs. I'm guessing there may have been a deal whereby GM then shipped a bunch of these cars back to South Korea. Quid pro quo.
The Spark EV was made there, and when it debuted, GM had planned to release it nationwide. At the time, the industry thought the upcoming CAFE changes were going to do away with splitting a company's car fleets into domestic and foreign. That did not happen. The Spark EV only reached 3 or 4 states, and Bolt production was planned for the US, were its CAFE effect would be better for GM's numbers. The deal was GM gets cheap batteries, but also buys the motor and controllers from LG.
No, that is why the Sonic is built in the US, but not really, it was part of the bankruptcy deal. The Bolt is built here because CAFE rules make it more beneficial to do so. Haven't seen GM do much stressing about where it is built. CAFE contains wackiness. Ford arranged for the Crown Vic to be categorized as foreign built because it was better for them that way, for example.
@Trollbait just posted motors/controllers (besides batteries & whatever else) made in Korea. By "built here" do you mean a bunch of stuff made elsewhere - then all the stuff put together here? If a company does it that way & customers have no problem ....oh well .... Auto manufacturing - China makes some sub assemblies - Canada puts some of that together as a bigger assembly - other stuff from Mexico, with the rest assembled here. No wonder the window stickers tell of so much of a cars stuff coming from around the world. Makes one wonder. What's the % of the stuff before "Made in USA" is tantamount to misrepresentation .
