Chevy Menlo electric car is a neat crossover not for the US
It's far more interesting than the Bolt EV, in my opinion.
Sorry, America, it's not for us.
General Motors has a total of 20 new electric cars coming by 2023, but don't think they're all for the US. China is the largest market for electric vehicles in the entire world and GM is absolutely catering to that reality.
On that note, China's latest electric-car entree is served. This is the Chevy Menlo EV that debuted on Friday. Before you ask, no, this isn't coming to the US. A Chevy representative confirmed to Roadshow that the model is specific to China and the company has zero intention of bringing it to the US.
It's sort of a crossover, but kind of a wagon, too.
Despite its reveal, the brand was pretty light on details. The driving range sits at 410 kilometers, or roughly 255 miles. That figure is based on the New European Driving Cycle testing, however, which is notoriously liberal. A range closer to 200 is more likely. The range figure is pretty close to the Buick Velite 6's as well, which likely means the two share a lot of technology. The Velite 6 is another China-only EV that GM sells locally. The Menlo EV, however, is the first electric car Chevy will sell in China.
Here in the US, we make do with the Chevy Bolt EV, which looks kind of frumpy in comparison with the Menlo. The design takes a lot of inspiration from the FNR-X concept the automaker showed in China a couple of years ago. Yet, the production car looks decidedly more wagonlike.
I like this face a lot.
Photos of the interior weren't available with the announcement, but the front end is very similar to that of the abovementioned FNR-X, while the side profile does a bit of a Subaru Outback impersonation. Overall, it's got a distinct look that will hopefully make its way to some US-bound Chevys -- especially future electric cars.
A few other details the brand shared: There's a new generation of the MyLink infotainment system onboard, a digital key and intelligent voice recognition. More details should come as Chevy prepares to launch the electric car in the first half of next year.
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