GM announces a next-generation Chevy Bolt EV

GM CEO Mary Barra hinted at this news in June, but now it's officially official: The Chevy Bolt is back. Well, it will be back. The company hasn't said exactly when it will be offered, but offer it the company will.

Barra summed up the reasoning pretty clearly with this statement: "Our customers love today’s Bolt. It has been delivering record sales and some of the highest customer satisfaction and loyalty scores in the industry. It’s also an important source of conquest sales for the company and for Chevrolet."

More specifically, Chevy noted that 80% of Bolt buyers are planning on sticking with the brand, and 70% of Bolt buyers were trading in non-GM vehicles. The model is also having its best-ever sales this year. Through the first half of the year, 33,659 have been sold. That's a massive improvement over last year, when Chevy only moved 7,303 in the same time frame. This also means that Bolt sold more than some other key nameplates in the Chevy lineup, individually beating Blazer, Colorado, Suburban and Trax so far this year.