General Motors will discontinue production of the Chevrolet Bolt EV in about a year and a half, as the automaker shifts its manufacturing locations. The move reflects changes in the economic and political environment, influenced by the previous administration's tariff policies and the elimination of the federal EV tax credit, which had offered up to $7,500 for qualifying electric vehicles. These factors have increased the cost of building vehicles in China and Mexico for sale in the United States.

The 2027 Chevy Bolt EV, which recently arrived in dealerships, is the only vehicle currently manufactured at the Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas. GM confirmed to TechCrunch that production of the Bolt EV will end as the next-generation Buick Envision, currently built in China, will move to the Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas, beginning in 2028. The gas-powered Chevrolet Equinox, currently made in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, will move to the Kansas plant as well.

The decision to shift production locations and discontinue the Bolt EV comes as GM navigates a complex landscape of trade policies and incentives. The Trump administration's tariffs and the end of the federal EV tax credit altered the financial dynamics of vehicle production and importation. The changes made it more expensive to build vehicles in China and Mexico for the U.S. market.

The Chevrolet Bolt EV, priced at $29,990 including the destination fee, is one of the most affordable new EVs available to U.S. consumers. Its discontinuation raises questions about GM's strategy for entry-level electric vehicles and how it will maintain a competitive presence in the affordable EV segment. The shift of Buick Envision production from China to the U.S. signals a broader trend of automakers reevaluating their global manufacturing footprints in response to changing economic and political conditions.