automotive

Chevrolet Bolt Wins Car Of The Year

DETROIT — The Chevrolet Bolt won the coveted North American car of the year, announced Monday at the North American International Auto Show.

Several dozen notable auto journalists who regularly test-drive vehicles vote on the annual awards. The Honda Ridgeline pickup was named North American Truck of the Year. The Chrysler Pacifica minivan was named North American Utility of the Year, the first time the award — which includes SUVs, crossovers and minivans — has been distributed.

The Bolt is the first U.S.-made, mass-market, fully electric car; however, “we really don’t think of it as an electric vehicle,” Chevrolet Bolt marketing manager Kathy Beslic tells Marketing Daily. “It’s a really great vehicle that just happens to be electric.”

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The vehicle has a range-per-charge of 238 miles, double most electric cars on the market except those from Tesla. Yet the Bolt, in many cases, is about half the price of Tesla's Model S or X. It recently went on sale in California and Oregon with a base price of $37,495 for the basic trim level before a $7,500 federal tax credit. It will be available nationwide by mid-year, Beslic says.

Marketing will be primarily digital since the tech-savvy target spends much of their time online, she says. Other than that characteristic, the vehicle could appeal to a wide target, Beslic says. 

“It really hits the mark in both [mileage] range and price,” she says. “People are attracted to its top-notch technology. Electric vehicles are cool again.”

Chevrolet has noticed an interesting phenomenon in that Bolt and Volt customers are similar in mindset to Corvette customers: They are seriously focused on performance and technology features, she says.

Unlike Chevrolet’s other eco-friendly entry, the Chevrolet Volt, which is an electric car with a backup gas engine, the Bolt is pure electric without a gas engine. Chevrolet launched ChevyEVLife.com in September to help educate consumers about the two vehicles and their differences.  

“We will continue to add more content to the site as the Bolt availability expands,” Beslic says.

Chevrolet also unveiled the global debut of the 2018 Traverse, joining the refreshed 2018 Equinox, which was unveiled Sept. 22, the autumnal equinox. 

Kathleen Murawski, Chevrolet's marketing manager for the two brands, said Equinox ads will break around April 1 with Traverse joining them later in the year. Equinox customers are 50/50 male/female but have a similar DIY mindset. They are family people, but their family might not be actual family; it could be pets or friends. And they need a vehicle large enough to haul them around it. Traverse customers are similar but tend to have a bit more stuff and like a slightly more upscale interior. 

Steve Majoras, Chevrolet marketing director, cars and crossovers, said the “Shattering Perceptions” ads from Commonwealth/McCann have been successful in helping to expose and educate consumers to “the dramatic product renaissance,” and the creative approach will continue to be used.  

The spots, which are both brand-wide and also vehicle-specific such as this one for the Malibu Hybrid, feature real people, not actors. There is no plan to stop using that creative approach, he says. 

“People have a bit of an outdated perception of our products, their design, their technology,” Majoras tells Marketing Daily. “What really is at the heart of the campaign is to expose people to Chevrolet products and get their real, unscripted reaction to what we’re offering.”

Ultimately, the division has to balance staying true to the equities people recognize as a Chevrolet communication while also making sure the news of the specific vehicle gets out. Chevrolet is very focused on basic metrics, like memorability, branding and breakthrough, he says.

“That’s the beauty of this really tightly connected campaign is that it’s instantly recognizable and noticeable as a piece of Chevrolet communications Chevy campaign,” he says. “The trick becomes how do we make sure the Traverse message comes through, or the Equinox or the Volt or whatever it is.”

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