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GM's CES 2016 keynote with Mary Barra: Join us on Wednesday at 1 p.m. PT (live blog)

GM comes to CES 2016 with a keynote speech by CEO Mary Barra, introducing the all-new Bolt electric vehicle.

Wayne Cunningham Managing Editor / Roadshow
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
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Chevrolet Bolt concept
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Chevrolet Bolt concept

GM showed off the Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle concept in Detroit in 2015.

 Josh Miller/CNET

At this year's International Consumer Electronics Show, GM CEO Mary Barra puts her company center stage with a keynote address scheduled for Wednesday at 1 p.m. In an unusual step for an automaker, GM will be introducing the production version of the Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle during the show, likely to be a major talking point for Barra.

This story is part of CES 2016, Our editors bring you complete CES 2016 coverage and scour the showroom floor for the hottest new tech gadgets around.

CNET will be live-blogging Barra's keynote address, so tune in to see what she has to say about how GM is embracing technology to improve its cars.

The Bolt, launched as a concept vehicle at last year's Detroit auto show, promises to go beyond current electric-vehicle offerings by giving a range of up to 200 miles, doubling that of the affordable competition. Only Tesla offers an electric car with more range, with prices starting at $70,000 (£51,900 UK, AU$128,578 Australia). The Bolt should come in under $40,000, although no specific pricing has been announced at this time, nor market availability.

While the Bolt marks a major milestone for GM, Barra will likely also bring up the company's connectivity strategy. In 2015, we saw announcements and implementations of Android Auto and Apple CarPlay in Chevrolet MyLink head units, promised for all Chevrolet models. Barra may point that support out as an example of GM's technology progress.

Also likely to figure into her address will be the Onstar telematics service, which brings a 4G/LTE data connection into cars. Currently, that data connection only supports Onstar services and a Wi-Fi hotspot. We can hope for greater use of that data connection in future cars.

Continuing on the connected front, GM is poised to be the first automaker to offer vehicle-to-vehicle communication in its vehicles, rolling out in a Cadillac model. This type of communication will likely find its way into all new cars over the next decade, and could greatly improve safety by letting cars warn each other when they are braking or about to cross paths, subsequently alerting the driver.

GM is taking the lead on this high-tech safety feature, making it a rich subject for CES 2016.