A top-selling car is making a comeback after a three-year hiatus — and it’s already reshaping GM’s production lines. 

On Wednesday, Chevy unveiled the new Bolt, its pint-sized electric vehicle. 

The car, built in GM’s sprawling Fairfax Assembly plant in Kansas City, is slated to hit US driveways early next year from $28,995. 

However, to rejuvenate the brand, GM had to cease production of two gasoline vehicles to accommodate the Bolt: the mid-sized Cadillac XT4 SUV and the powerful Chevy Camaro.

The Bolt’s resurgence provides a boost for the electric vehicle market, which has been facing challenges in controlling rising prices and dealing with changing federal regulations.

Initially introduced in 2016, the Bolt was intended to be a niche hatchback, offering a 200-mile range for around $30,000 — approximately the price of a Toyota RAV4 or Chevy Equinox. Surprisingly, it became a big success.

In 2023 — its last year of production — Chevy sold more than 62,000 Bolts, and buyers wept when GM pulled the plug. 

The automaker shelved the Bolt to free up assembly lines for a range of $100,000-plus electric heavyweights, including the GMC Hummer EV, Chevy Silverado EV, GMC Sierra EV, and Cadillac Escalade IQ. 

The Chevy Bolt is back – this time, it takes the styling of the larger EUV version of the Bolt. It’s a fresh approach to electric vehicles that multiple automakers are about to jump on in 2026 

GM’s CEO, Mary Barra, promised the car would return with an upgraded battery after customers revolted in 2023

The Bolt’s small stature remains largely the same compared to the outgoing model – GM wanted to kill off the Bolt, but more than 60,000 sold in the car’s final year 

GM was also rolling out new battery tech that made the Bolt’s 2016 architecture outdated. 

Still, CEO Mary Barra promised the SUV version of the Bolt would be back. 

With Wednesday’s reveal, she’s delivered. 

The redesigned car looks nearly identical to the old version but boasts a 25 percent range increase, now at 252 miles.

‘The Chevrolet Bolt was the industry’s first affordable mass-market, long-range EV,’ Scott Bell, a Chevy VP, said. 

‘It commanded one of GM’s most loyal customer bases thanks to its price, versatility, and practicality.’ 

GM’s move underscores how US automakers are pivoting on EV strategy now that federal tax credits have expired. 

Before September 30, the federal government was offering $7,500 tax credits to drivers who bought a new EV, so long as the car was largely built in the US. 

The Bolt is a near replica of the older version – but with a more capable battery

Chevy says the car will come with GM’s SuperCruise, which has highway self-driving 

The Chevy Bolt is launching with the same plug as Tesla – the car will be able to access Elon Musk’s Supercharger network, the largest EV charging fleet in the US 

After years of chasing Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid with massive luxury SUVs that qualified for the credit, carmakers are starting to lean back into smaller, cheaper models as shoppers grow weary of bloated vehicles and sticker shock. 

Nissan reworked its classic EV, the Leaf. It’s now a $30,000 SUV with more than 300 miles of range. 

Toyota is reviving the C-HR as a $35,000 EV. Ford is shifting its EV production to add a small $30,000 truck. 

Rivian has a $45,000 SUV on the way. Tesla just unveiled a cheaper base model. 

Even Jeff Bezos entered the small EV game, backing startup Slate, which aims to produce a tiny pickup with a $25,000 base price.  

‘The biggest issue is consumer affordability,’ David Whiston, an automotive analyst at Morningstar, told the Daily Mail. 

‘The EV credit expiration will slow adoption, but the industry continuing to reduce battery and manufacturing cost will eventually make EVs desirable.’