The Chevrolet Bolt EV is displayed during the Los Angeles Auto Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center on November 20, 2016 in Los Angeles, California.

The symbolism was obvious.

General Motors, which is racing against Tesla to win the burgeoning market for lower-priced all-electric cars, delivered its first three Chevy Bolt EVs to a dealership in Fremont, California, on Tuesday.

That's the city that is home to an assembly plant that will soon start building Tesla's all-electric car, the Model 3.

Chevy's delivery of the Bolt put the automaker ahead of its self-imposed deadline to begin sales of the vehicle before year's end.

With a range of 238 miles when fully charged, the Bolt will initially be sold in California and Oregon, states with a heavy population of consumers interested in electric vehicles. GM is restricting sales to those states in part because only a small number of vehicles will be delivered.



The vehicle's suggested retail price is $37,495, before federal and state tax credits. That compares with a $35,000 starting price for Tesla's Model 3.

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