General Motors Is Sending Its Chevrolet Bolt EV Into Pre-Production

General Motors (GM) has just sent the Chevrolet Bolt EV down the assembly line for pre-production stage. At the end of this year the all-electric car is schedule to begin the retail production for the mass-market.

According to Fortune, Michelle Malcho, spokeswoman for GM's Chevy cars unit, declared that the first Chevrolet Bolt EV was sent down an assembly line at a plant in Orion, Michigan. This is the same GM factory that builds the Chevy Sonic and Buick Verona.

General Motors has designed its Chevrolet Bolt EV all-electric car to compete with the upcoming Model 3 from rival auto maker Tesla. According to Malcho, while they cannot be sold to the public, the pre-production versions of the Chevy Bolt are still driveable.

Pre-production is a stage that allows factory workers and engineers to make sure the dimensions on the car are right, parts fit and the manufacturing process works. This testing stage is critical because General Motors will assemble both the Chevy Sonic and the Buick Verona on the same line.

According to Malcho, it takes traditionally between six months to one year for a GM car to pass from the pre-production stage to full production.  On the development of the Chevrolet Bolt EV the auto maker has moved particularly fast, taking the car from concept to production-ready stage in just 12 months.

Mary Barra, GM CEO and chairman, introduced the Chevrolet Bolt EV in January at CES, in Las Vegas. A similar car called the Opel Ampera-e, was unveiled in February for Europe.

General Motors' portfolio is still dominated mostly by gas-powered trucks and cars. However, the investment and manpower placed on the Chevrolet Bolt EV shows the interest of the auto maker for the market of the hybrid and electric cars.

The all-electric vehicle Chevy Bolt EV will cost around $37,500 before government clean energy incentives and will have a 200-mile range. More details about the upcoming car model are presented on the auto maker's website.