Tesla who? Chevy Bolt kicks off 2017 with a big win

History was made at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show where the Chevrolet Bolt EV won the show's award for North American Car of the Year, making it the first time an all-electric vehicle has taken the top prize.

With this new title, the Bolt continues to build on the buzz that has surrounded it since its official unveiling at CES 2016 as arguably the first mass-market friendly, fully electric car. It has also made news as being both Steve Wozniak's new car of choice and GM's autonomous guinea pig for logging self-driving miles in San Francisco and Michigan.

This isn't the first industry honor for the Bolt. In November, it was given both the Motor Trend Car of the Year title and the Green Car of the Year award at the LA Auto Show.

Along with the Bolt's win in the Car category, the Chrysler Pacifica and Honda Ridgeline were named the top vehicles in the Utility and Truck categories, respectively.

In addition to its on-road performance, the Bolt is so lauded because of its unmatched combination of range and value. With a 238-mile range on a single charge, its only peer in the electric vehicle space is the Tesla Model S and its 208-mile range.

But the Bolt's starting price tag weighs in at around $30,000 after tax credits, well below the premium cost of the Tesla Model S, which starts at $66,000.

“The Bolt EV fulfills Chevrolet’s promise to offer an affordable, long-range electric,” Mark Reuss, GM's executive VP of Global Product Development said in a statement after receiving the award. “It is a game-changer that is not only a great electric vehicle; it’s a great vehicle — period.”

Mashable's Chris Taylor agreed after taking his own 250-mile jaunt in the Bolt back in September, calling it a "genuinely game-changing car." With the Bolt set to be released nationwide by mid-2017 (it went on sale in California and Oregon at the end of 2016), this could be the year that GM starts to rewrite the rules of the road.