Chevrolet Searches for New Name for Upcoming Electric Car

GM had planned to name their upcoming small EV the Bolt.  After all, the name rhymed with its larger Volt stablemate and Bolt was simple yet catchy.  But then GM’s plans veered off the road and into the ditch. You see, Yamaha had trademarked–and was already using—the Bolt name for its
V-Twin cruiser motorcycle.  Damn.

Chevrolet begin searching for another zippy and similar sounding name, but wound up disappointed. Here’s why:

Colt:  Nope. Dodge boys nailed down this one.

Dolt:  Defined as a blockhead or chump. Uh, no.

Folt:  When Chevrolet requested permission to use her name, University of North Carolina Chancellor Carol Folt told Chevrolet to “Go (rhymes with “spit”) in your hat.”

Holt: Defined as a small grove of trees; unsuitable name for a vehicle. NBC Nightly News anchor also registered his displeasure.

Jolt:  An electric shock.  Unsuitable for an electric vehicle.

Kolt:  An AM radio station in Scottsbluff.  Features news on the hour and traffic on the 8’s.  Too Nebraska-ish.

Lolt:  Too close to LOL.

Molt:  When an animal sheds its skin; evokes images of body parts falling off car, as on the Evoque.

Nolt: Good for five points in Scrabble, but that’s about all.

Polt:  A hard knock or thump with a stick or club; too menacing.

Quolt:  Sound a choking person makes when Heimlich maneuver is applied and a chunk of rib eye steak is disgorged. Too onomatopoeic.

Rolt:  When asked what Rolt means, a surprising 43% of the population answered, “Reduced-size Orthotopic Liver Transplantation.”  Too medicinal.

Solt:  A small town in Hungary.  Too obscure. But if you do go, we recommend staying at the Földvár Panzió és Corner Sport Büfé Bed and Breakfast. There’s free wi-fi.

Tolt:  Street slang for female body parts (2).  Too boorish.

Volt: Taken. Yes, boxer George Foreman named all five of his sons George, but two cars with the same name would confuse Consumer Reports.

Wolt:  Everyone we surveyed asked, “You mean Disney?”

Yolt:  Acronym for You Only Live Twice.  Toyota 2000 GT made its debut in that 1967 James Bond film. Negatives:  (1) Suggested association with Toyota; (2) Chevy EV looks like a Craftsman palm sander compared to the 2000 GT.

Zolt:  Besides sounding like a good name for a robot dog, Zolt is already owned by a manufacturer of laptop chargers.

Our recommendation:  The Chevrolet George.