CHICAGO - FEBRUARY 10: 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV is on display at the 109th Annual Chicago Auto Show ... [+]
Numerous legacy carmakers have been saying for the past few years that electric vehicles are the future of their companies, but EVs in the showrooms are still few and far between.
GM is one of those companies, saying back in 2017 that they would have 20 electric models by 2023, a date that's fast approaching. To their credit, they are one of the first legacy car companies to actually develop and sell a workable EV, the Bolt, an affordable if somewhat unremarkable all-electric hatchback that's in showrooms today, where it leads a lonely existence among its many fossil-fueled cousins. However, it may be about to get a sibling.
According to electric vehicle tracking site Electrek (photos) and the Facebook page for CarNewsChina, General Motors, along with their Chinese EV partner SAIC Motor, has unveiled a new EV called the Menlo. It's speculation and/or wishful thinking at this point, but could the Menlo eventually make it's way stateside as the next entry in Chevy's Bolt EV lineup?
According to the typically reliable Electrek, SAIC will build the "Menlo" version in China for their domestic market while GM could spec out the US version at home, but the cars would likely share many common parts and design features.
Like the original Bolt, a new Bolt or Bolt SUV won't be a Tesla-killer in the performance department, with the Menlo motor making about 170 horsepower in order to maximize range. Battery specs were not specified but a top speed of about 93miles an hour (150kph) seems low, especially for the U.S. market, where speed limits in Texas have risen to 85 miles an hour in places. A U.S. variant could have different power plants than Chinese machines due to the likely modular nature of the vehicle.
Stylistically, the Menlo looks sharp, with a steeply raked windshield and a design (in white, at least) that recalls the popular Land Rover Sport SUV. Slim LED headlights are part of the equation.
Could the Menlo eventually make its way to other markets as a new version of the Bolt or perhaps as an SUV option/cousin to the original hatch? Time will tell, but we hope so.
