Bolt from the true blue?

General Motors has confirmed it will build the Chevrolet Bolt, an affordable compact EV (electric vehicle), in the US.

The production car will be based on the Chevrolet Bolt concept first shown at the 2015 Detroit motor show, and is claimed have a range of around 300km and will be priced at around $US30,000. That concept was penned at the Holden Design Studio in Melbourne, Australia.

Former Holden boss and now GM North America President Alan Batey made the announcement before the Chicago motor show  this week, stating: "The message from consumers about the Bolt EV concept was clear and unequivocal: Build it."

"We are moving quickly because of its potential to completely shake up the status quo for electric vehicles," observed Batey.

Although specific details, such as where it will be sold, if it will be built in left and right hand drive and when production will start are yet to be confirmed, General Motors did reveal it is investing $US200 million to retool its Orion assembly plant in Michigan to build the vehicle.

The baby-brother of the Chevrolet Volt, which is sold in Australia wearing Holden badges for $60,000, the Bolt is being dubbed as a "game-changer" for the brand and the industry, with talk of the vehicle taking on Tesla's upcoming Model 3 small car thanks to its long range, low price and DC fast-charging support.

Despite the introduction of the Tesla Model S in Australia, sales of electric vehicles in this country are insignificant, with both the Holden Volt and Nissan Leaf selling in small numbers.

GM Holden's senior manager of product communications, Kate Lonsdale, told motoring.com.au that it was too early to talk about the whether the Bolt EV would be offered in Australia.

"It's an exciting electric vehicle that the Holden design team was involved with," said Lonsdale.

"We'll potentially look at a business case but it's very early days with the car," she cautioned.

As Holden ponders its EV strategy, there's a chance the car maker may even scotch the Volt from its range, due to a lack of interest in the vehicle. In 2014 sales of the Holden Volt were down 42.6 per cent, with just 58 vehicles registered. That compares with 101 sales in 2013.

In January 2015 Holden has sold seven Volts and with local interest in the vehicle so underwhelming, will it be scrapped from the range?

"We've made no decision either way," said Lonsdale. "The Volt is not about volume sales and the decision [on whether we'll continue with it] is yet to be made."

If the Chevrolet Bolt is confirmed for right-hand drive production, and Holden secured shipments for Australia, it would likely offer a more affordable alternative for its technology flagship than the $59,990 Volt.