SPY PICS: Chevrolet Bolt exposed

These spy photos show the upcoming production model of the Chevrolet Bolt that in concept form wowed American audiences at Detroit earlier this year.

The Bolt in production form retains the funky dramatic cab-forward proportions of the concept developed at Holden's Port Melbourne design studio for the Detroit show, but has adopted larger headlight clusters and dramatically revised C pillars.

Although it shares its D2XX GM platform with the likes of the Chevrolet Cruze, making it of similar size to the likes of Mazda CX-3 and Hyundai Tucson, the Bolt should benefit from being free of conventional packaging restrictions such as the need for a central floor tunnel or a transverse front engine. Its high roofline promises a hip point to suit SUV-style buyers.

The Bolt will be manufactured at GM's Orion plant in Michigan, alongside the perky Chevrolet Sonic light car (our Barina) and the Buick Verano small car after a tooling investment of $US200 million.

It's expected the Bolt will be rebadged as an Opel and Vauxhall for European and British markets subsequent to its expected launch in the US around mid-2016.

With a claimed range as high as 320km and a price estimated to be around US$38,000 (before an annual US tax credit of US$7500), the GM car looks set to bring Tesla-style electric driveability to a more affordable level.

Australia is not yet a certainty to see the Bolt as a Holden, especially with the tepid consumer interest in the now-discontinued Volt sedan, but GM Holden's senior manager of product communications Kate Lonsdale said recently that the company will "potentially look at a business case" for the Bolt.