[Steverino]

WGN’s Erin Ivory will co-host the Channel 9 telecast with MotorWeek’s John Davis.

At the very, very end they mentioned that "the Bolt EV will be there". That was it. Pathetic. No mention of the Bolt being Motor Weeks "Best of the Year", a game changing 238 mile range, the numerous other awards. Apparently Chevy "marketing" could afford nothing more than 1 second.

We all know that test drives help sell the car. No Bolt EV test drives at the Chicago auto show, because we aren't in California I guess. Meanwhile, in my 20 minutes drive to a tile store I saw 2 Tesla Model X, a BMW i3 (at the tile store), a Nissan Leaf, and one Volt. According to Chevy "marketing" no one buys EV's in Illinois, lol. I see them every day.

 

[firehawk72]

Is it any wonder that many dealers still don't sell or service the Volts and I know you are talking about Bolts. Even my local Chevy dealer stopped selling and servicing the 2016s (Volts) and beyond...

 

[Qinsp]

I know there were not Bolt test drives in the largest single EV market in the world, Los Angeles Auto Show.

I don't think San Fran had test drives either.

 

[Qinsp]

I have a hunch the reason some shows get EV test drives and others do not has to do with DCFC facilities. Could be wrong.

 

[lil' dave]

I got to see it today at the Chicago Auto Show. I complained about the lack of availability in Illinois.

I did get interviewed by ABC Channel 7 news. I gave the Bolt some publicity. I said I was there to see it lol.

 

[Sean Nelson]

We all know that test drives help sell the car. No Bolt EV test drives at the Chicago auto show, because we aren't in California I guess.

I had the opportunity to take the Bolt for a test drive at the Portland auto show. It's clear that they don't have a problem with letting people take test drives.

I can think of two reasons why they may not have test drives in Chicago:

1) There's some sort of local issue - perhaps insurance or perhaps there just isn't a route that's suitable for test drives at the auto show venue, or

2) Perhaps they don't feel it's worth letting people take test drives for a car that's not being offered for sale in that area yet.

If point (2) is the reason then I think it's short-sighted.

 

[Steverino]

Channel 7 ABC had a long advertorial on the autoshow. When it was Chevy's Marketing Director Steve Majoros turn he talked about the "Redline" paint accents you can now get for your car or truck.

So sad.

I also note that the Bolt EV is not shown in the Chevy ad's crowing about its most awarded vehicles.

I had the opportunity to take the Bolt for a test drive at the Portland auto show. It's clear that they don't have a problem with letting people take test drives.

I can think of two reasons why they may not have test drives in Chicago:

1) There's some sort of local issue - perhaps insurance or perhaps there just isn't a route that's suitable for test drives at the auto show venue, or

2) Perhaps they don't feel it's worth letting people take test drives for a car that's not being offered for sale in that area yet.

If point (2) is the reason then I think it's short-sighted.

It's just Chevy being lame.
1. This show is over a million square feet, and a half dozen manufacturers have indoor test drive tracks.
2. We are only 4 months from being able to order Bolt EVs in IL, so yes, short-sighted.

 

[Sean Nelson]

This show is over a million square feet, and a half dozen manufacturers have indoor test drive tracks.

That suggests to me that there's some sort of issue with the venue that makes outdoor test drives problematic.

 

[scottf200]

I'm headed to the Chi autoshow this week and I hope at least I can sit in one. In the past it was only on stage as I recall.

There are a ton of Volts here in Chicagoland. I seem them everyplace I go even outside of my normal travels.

I know my local Chevrolet dealer is still selling and working on them. They are sending me mailings and actually calling me on the phone to come in an get recall work done on our 2016 Volt. Appears to just be software updates. A bit of a pain and I've put it off. Much nicer to get them OTA in our Tesla.

 

[maczr1]

Actually to be fair John Davis did pick the Bolt as the one car he chose as the best one amongst all others at the end of the show on ch 9 WGN.
Also on motorweek they chose it as the car of the year.
I am going on Friday if anyone wants to meet up!
Tom

 

[Steverino]

That suggests to me that there's some sort of issue with the venue that makes outdoor test drives problematic.

I (and I suspect many others) would be very happy with an indoor test drive, "outdoor" is not a requirement.

I recall that Chevy marketing said they would be aggressive in promoting the Bolt EV. Instead it seems they have been passive at best. They have a "game changing" car that is piling up awards and accolades and what does the head of marketing talk about? Red accents you can order for your car. Meanwhile the Bolt EV is personna non-grata in Chevy ads touting their award winning cars. Chevy marketing acts as if they are embarrassed by the Bolt rather than proud of it.

 

[scottf200]

Looks like they have multiples at the show. This reporter was able to get in one and hopefully they are open to the public. Long video in the below. I watched it at higher than normal speed (gear icon in yourtube)

http://insideevs.com/chevrolet-bolt-2017-chicago-auto-show-video/

 

[stuart22]

We all know that test drives help sell the car. No Bolt EV test drives at the Chicago auto show, because we aren't in California I guess.

Chill out - no Bolt EV test drives were had at the San Francisco auto show - just one Bolt inside on the floor for visitors to check out.

However, among cars available for test driving (or being test driven by a company rep) was Toyota's Mirai.

 

[Qinsp]

Chill out - no Bolt EV test drives were had at the San Francisco auto show - just one Bolt inside on the floor for visitors to check out.

They did have them San Diego, which makes me think charging was the issue. LA and SF are more critical and more central. They had them at CES 2016 which isn't even a car show, but it does have a lot of high power due to the electronics show.

 

[canehdian]

I wonder if it will be available for test drive at the Toronto show?
They're specifically advertising on the radio about "electric avenue" where you can test drive various EVs.

I also note that the Bolt EV is not shown in the Chevy ad's crowing about its most awarded vehicles.

To give them a sliver of credit though, a commercial that is airing today probably has months of lead time for production. Most of the awards were only just given in the last month or so.
If it was on-screen graphics, sure, that can be turned around quickly and added last minute. But to actually have the cars on site for filming (which it appears they did, or it's good CGI) - they would have to have known about it long before hand.
It could also have been a batch of commercials filmed a year ago and staggered release. We really don't know when it was done.

 

[HAL8950]

I wonder if it will be available for test drive at the Toronto show?

Yes the Bolt EV will be available for test drives at CIAS in Toronto (each day of the show), thanks to Plug 'N Drive. Got a media email stating so.

 

[VoltenRock]

I wonder if inside a large bureaucracy like GM there are internal fault lines between the "old" (but very profitable) tech like trucks, performance V-8s, SUVs, etc. and the "new" (but not-yet profitable) EV promoters. I bet these fault lines exist in marketing, sales, and everywhere else. We see it at local dealerships.

Sometimes new tech wins, sometimes old tech instead.

 

[canehdian]

Yes the Bolt EV will be available for test drives at CIAS in Toronto (each day of the show), thanks to Plug 'N Drive. Got a media email stating so.

Nice. Might have to plan a trip.

 

[lil' dave]

Looks like they have multiples at the show. This reporter was able to get in one and hopefully they are open to the public. Long video in the below. I watched it at higher than normal speed (gear icon in yourtube)

http://insideevs.com/chevrolet-bolt-2017-chicago-auto-show-video/

They have two and both are open.

 

[JoeMap]

I recall that Chevy marketing said they would be aggressive in promoting the Bolt EV. Instead it seems they have been passive at best. They have a "game changing" car that is piling up awards and accolades and what does the head of marketing talk about? Red accents you can order for your car. Meanwhile the Bolt EV is personna non-grata in Chevy ads touting their award winning cars. Chevy marketing acts as if they are embarrassed by the Bolt rather than proud of it.

I can't help but think your post should be tweeted to Mary Barra asking for an explanation. Simply, you either are, or are not, serious about marketing and selling this car.

And perhaps another tweet to Steve Majoros asking why anyone would care about red accents and what makes them more important than mentioning Motor Trend's Car of The Year!! This type of public question can hopefully bring about changes for future shows gong forward. By the way, I'm not a Twitterer so it's easy to give suggestions and not follow through.

I had plans to attend the show, especially if a test drive was available. I've changed my mind.

Joe