[Ladogaboy]

Some of y'all might be lucky enough to remember the ol' K5 Blazer fondly. Well, I had a random thought as I was looking at the power numbers for the Bolt. It basically has the same amount of power as our old 2003 half-ton 4x4, and I thought to myself, imagine if GM went off the deep end...

Double up the Bolt drive train (two 150 kW motors) and add 20 kWh to the battery pack. Bolt that sucker up to a light duty truck/SUV. Obviously, you'd have limited towing capacity and only about a 200 mile range, but it would be sweet. A Model X for the rest of us, anyone?

 

[Bacardi]

I think it goes without saying the true hot segment is whatever you want to call the AWD Blazer/Trax/Equinox...When you say the segment CUV, very few people will think of the Bolt EV/Sonic Hatchback/Cruze hatchback as CUV...

It's less about towing and more about the hot segment...High ground clearance, AWD with descent cargo space are what's in...Yet I will say if GM wanted to sell more they could put it under the Buick brand since it's wildly popular in China and would add some exclusivity here in the states since you usually see 100 Chevys for every one Buick you see...

 

[Whatstreet]

Ford is brining back the Bronco by 2020. Hopefully there will be a two door or at least hidden backdoors or I see no reason to name it Bronco.

I suppose Chevrolet could bring back the Blazer name with this nostalgic trend. An EREV or at least a PHEV would be welcome. It seems to me that BEV would not have enough range to do any real utility like towing or hauling up hill to no where.

 

[Loboc]

Bolt is definitely more CUV-like than Cruze hatch. Something fully electric and like the defunct ENVI 4x4 Jeep would sell well I think.

K5 is a little raw for my taste. I'm not the off-road type. I'd probably have serious digital withdrawal if I was off-network.

 

[llninja]

I ask for this more than once a week on this forum, give me a Subyukonade with an upsized Bolt or Voltec drivetrain converted to AWD. At a minimum, get me an AWD equinox with an upsized bolt or Voltec drivetrain. I'll even settle for an impala or Malibu with this drivetrain (but I don't want that Malibu hybrid that doesn't have a decent sized battery)

 

[viking79]

An off road vehicle (SUV as opposed to CUV) probably needs a Volt drivetrain with gas capability for refuelling in remote areas.

A CUV could stand to be all electric, but range is a real problem. Model X towing anything has a marginally useless range. Bad aerodynamics of most CUVs kills range too, and the X automatically lowers at speed to help this. Cheaper vehicles would lack this ability.

I would actually prefer a CUV plug in hybrid emphasizing EV performance like the Volt. A BEV version would also be nice, but maybe only for a short range CUV. I would love my Nissan Juke I used to have as a BEV or plug in with the AWD. They asked me what would get me to buy one again and I said a plug.

 

[stuart22]

An off-road capable AWD version of the Bolt with a GMC badge is what I'd like to see. It would give the GMC brand a boost in interest, which could rub off on other GMCs. Plus, there would be less price resistance as a GMC than as a Chevrolet.

 

[llninja]

An off-road capable AWD version of the Bolt with a GMC badge is what I'd like to see. It would give the GMC brand a boost in interest, which could rub off on other GMCs. Plus, there would be less price resistance as a GMC than as a Chevrolet.

Wouldn't it be easier to just offer AWD as an option to the existing car rather than building two of them? For decades I thought it was a waste for GM to build essentially the same car under Chevy, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Buick brand when the frame and engines were the same, but body panels, interior plastics, trim, and lights were all different.

 

[Ladogaboy]

An off-road capable AWD version of the Bolt with a GMC badge is what I'd like to see. It would give the GMC brand a boost in interest, which could rub off on other GMCs. Plus, there would be less price resistance as a GMC than as a Chevrolet.

I could see that, which is why I think they would make an AWD performance Bolt under Cadillac branding before they did anything else.

 

[stuart22]

LLninja: Wouldn't it be easier to just offer AWD as an option to the existing car rather than building two of them?

Yes, it would be easier. Chevy dealers selling Bolts would have the equipment GM required them to have in order to sell the Bolt. I do feel though that it would be in the long term interest of the company to keep all its brands interesting and desirable. GMC is a brand that does not carry the baggage of cheap price expectations had by the Chevrolet brand. Plus, it is sold at dealers that often carry the Buick and or Cadillac brands. AWD is a natural fit to the GMC product line. I think a GMC AWD version of the Bolt would draw attention and more business at these dealers.

I see no problem having different body panels and trim with a GMC logo on a Bolt platform. GMC trucks and SUVs have been clones of Chevrolet versions for years without complaints from the masses. Believe it or not, some people - including a few on this forum - believe GMC occupies a higher level than does Chevrolet.

Sharing platforms is widespread - Audi and VW do it, Mercedes-Benz and Infiniti are also doing it. It can work, and it does work.

 

[wws]

...I see no problem having different body panels and trim with a GMC logo on a Bolt platform. GMC trucks and SUVs have been clones of Chevrolet versions for years without complaints from the masses. Believe it or not, some people - including a few on this forum - believe GMC occupies a higher level than does Chevrolet...

I heard long ago that Chevy trucks were built on Mondays and Fridays, and GMCs were built on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. That said, my Suburban is a Chevy.