Read the back stories and learn that GM did not commit engineering resources to the project in any significant manner.
I guess it depends on what you consider "significant".
LG designed and manufactured a number of key components but many of them would have normally been supplied by some 3rd party auto supplier for a non-EV vehicle design at GM or most other larger automakers. GM and LG did a deal that directed a higher percentage of those parts to LG whereas they would normally have been spread across several different suppliers. We're talking here about display screens, infotainment center, AC compressor and climate controls, AC to DC battery charger, Green PHY communications module, etc. Other suppliers still provide the braking system, wiring harnesses, seats, steering rack, etc.
A number of the key powertrain components were designed by GM but are being manufactured by LG such as the power inverter and drive unit that contains the motor, gearbox, and differential. That's not unique to the Bolt. GM contracts with Hitachi Automotive to manufacture the power inverter and motors in the Volt PHEV although it made its own parts for the Spark EV. Companies contract out because it's sometimes cheaper while other times it's cheaper to do it in-house.
GM also designed the car body using a fairly sophisticated multi-material approach to reduce vehicle weight at its Korean small vehicle design center. As part of that they closely collaborated with LG on the structural design and other aspects of the battery pack. GM did a lot of design verification and environmental testing. GM did the full vehicle integration engineering. Final assembly is at a GM factory in Michigan.
Doing all of that in the span of ~3 years inherently required a great deal of engineering resources most of which is directly applicable to the design of future EVs.
GM has admitted they are losing $9K / car which is pretty crazy for a car that costs $40K (the "premium" package of basics adds a lot of cost to the car).
GM has not "admitted they are losing $9k / car". That number came from an anonymous source quoted in a Bloomberg or Reuters report (can't remember which) and the details and assumptions being that number were never qualified in any useful way.
While we see Toyota, BMW, Mercedes and VW making aggressive announcements about EVs, GM is silent. They announced 10 EVs and hybrids for China by 2020, but I have a hunch those are going to have a lot of Chinese content which may raise the top line, but won't contribute to the profitability.
Huh? Why would the fact of them being Chinese models built in China not contribute to GM's profitability? Of course they are going to have Chinese content and be built in China just like Toyota and Honda build cars in the US or the North American market. The car designs themselves could easily be manufactured and sold in the US market and some likely will. GM's Chinese cars are mostly the same as models sold in the US with minor cosmetic differences. I was in Shanghai a couple of years ago and the streets were filled with cars that looked pretty much the same as what you would see in a major US city.
GM is going to die a slow death as a zombie company with lots of volume, no innovation and no profit.
GM is very profitable at the moment with less debt after the bankruptcy and a much stronger line of smaller cars than they had in the past. They finally have competitive hybrid cars (Chevrolet Malibu at 46 mpg EPA) and the Volt (which shares the core transmission design with the Malibu) was the first PHEV and still is one of the best selling plug-in cars. A version of the Volt is now selling in China. GM also just began selling a CT6 PHEV with a RWD hybrid transmission likely to see broader use in SUVs and trucks. With the original Volt and the newer Volt/Malibu and CT6 hybrid transmissions and the Spark and Bolt powertrain designs GM has been doing a lot of engineering innovation in the electrified vehicle space in the last 10 years. They are well-positioned technically for the next decade.
I agree that GM has only vaguely committed via a brief comment by CEO Mary Barra to multiple new EVs for the US. I agree they need to step up and clarify their North American EV strategy soon.
