GM is killing it right now. Bolt is the first truly great EV ever built at an "affordable" price. Model 3 is getting all the hype now, but when it's all said and done GM will have beaten them to market by a year with an equally comparable or better product at the same price point.
Hatchbacks are not mini-SUVs, and many people can't afford to own a mini-SUV. $36,000 with no trims is pricy for a new car.
I've been adamant that owning an EV would be a non-starter for me, but having seen the Bolt, if I were shopping for a new car, I'd buy one in a heartbeat.
A compact SUV is one of the best selling card this year in the US and at ~20K its not actually that pricey compared the average car price in the USA of $34K.
And the compact SUV is looking like it it will dislodge the sedan's long dominance. See:
I wonder if it's a good idea to accelerate the progress towards a future that they may not be successful in. If all this is as disruptive as many people think then they may well be bringing forward their own demise.
Automakers are likely in a precarious position that they are just beginning to realize: If car-sharing really takes off (due to automation making it cheaper to hail on demand rather than owning a vehicle), they could see sales drop off by orders of magnitude. Glad to see that some of them realize this; though as a resident of western Michigan (home to many automotive suppliers), I am concerned about the potential impact up the supply chain.