The all-electric Chevrolet Bolt will cost $42,795 plus a $1,600 destination freight charge in Canada, General Motors announced Tuesday.
However, after all applicable rebates in Ontario, that price is $31,434 plus freight on the base model. The Bolt will be the most affordable long-range electric vehicle in Canada and a test of whether its powertrain technology is ready to go mainstream.
GM said last week the range for the 2017 Bolt EV will be 383 kilometres, as rated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. That is 33 kilometres more than Elon Musk is promising for Tesla's Model 3.
"Value is the hallmark for Chevrolet and the pricing of the Bolt EV proves we're serious about delivering the first affordable EV with plenty of range for customers," said Alan Batey, president of GM North America, in a statement.
In the United States, the car will cost $37,495 and just less than $30,000 after a federal tax credit. This price before the credit will be about $2,500 more than the Model 3 in U.S. dollars.
Despite the Bolt's price being on par with an average car, analysts familiar with GM's play say the company will sell less than 30,000 cars per year in the United States, making it a niche model. Battery electric vehicles make up less than 0.2 per cent of vehicles purchased in Canada.
GM plans to make first deliveries of the Bolt to its ride-sharing services partner Lyft.
U.S. customers will be able to start buying the Bolt later this year and, in Canada it "arrives at select dealerships at the beginning of 2017," according to an earlier statement.
Tesla said it received more than 370,000 reservations for the Model 3. GM doesn't accept early deposits or preorders on its vehicles, but one dealer in Quebec already has a list of 175 people hoping to get the car at the beginning of next year.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story stated the Bolt will cost $5,000 less than the Model 3 in the U.S. The starting price before the federal tax credit will in fact be $2,495 more than the starting price of the Model 3.
With a report from Reuters