Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Geneva Motor Show, Green, Opel
General Motors Europe boss Carl-Peter Forster began this morning’s press conference in Geneva with an acknowledgment of the dire financial straights that the entire industry is experiencing right now. Forster also candidly admitted that GM is currently investigating all options when it comes to changing its relationship with Opel, including outside equity investments. Once he got past all the bad news, however, he introduced the production-intent version of the Opel Ampera. If it looks familiar, it should. If it doesn’t, well, what rock have you been hiding under for the last two years? The Ampera is the Opel badged variant of the Chevrolet Volt. It uses the same Voltec powertrain as the Volt, as well as most of its body.
The main differences are the markedly more aggressive front and rear fascias and the black (rather than white) interior. Like the Volt, most of the front fascia is closed off to optimize aerodynamics. The styling of the nose is a mix of the 2007 GTC and Flextreme concepts, and we rather like the bold new look, particularly the chevron-like forms that grow downward from the headlamps.
The Ampera is planned for production in late 2011, about one year after the Volt. A right-hand drive Vauxhall version is scheduled to launch a year after that.
Continue reading Geneva 2009: Opel goes Voltec, Ampera coming in late 2011
Geneva 2009: Opel goes Voltec, Ampera coming in late 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 06:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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