Engadget just posted a short news release on the GM Opel Ampera plug-in hybrid. Link also has a few videos.
I thought Opel was being sold or scrapped?? I would love to see more plug-in models, perhaps I heard wrong?
people need to understand that if Volt is 40k in USA, it will cost 45-50k Euros in Europe - this is crazy money over here.
In person the 2010 Prius looks better then in the pictures. I am still not in love with the front protrusion though. While the Ampera is just 'badge engineering' I think its quite attractive and better then the Volt.
Photos of the Opel Volt (Opel Ampera) from the 2009 Geneva Auto Show ... (this car looks a heck of a lot better than the GM version. Of course, I'm not surprised) Opel Ampera 2009 Geneva Auto Show Pictures on Yahoo! Autos
If they're hand-made, they might compete with Tesla's price of 60K$ for their sedan. Then produce 100 a month. In order to bring the price to consumer-level of below 40k$, and produce 20k units per year, they have to build an infrastructure. Where will GM get the money? China has big money, so it will be easy for them to build infrastructure. So GM's solution to the Volt and the Ampera? Subcontract it to the Chinese. Then they get shipped in a few parts, get their paint job in the US, slap Union stickers on the car, Made In The USA. How would that be any different to other Ford/Chrysler/GM cars?
I just wonder ... if GM were to outsource the entire production to china, and then the Volts said "Designed in USA, made in China" if the USA national savings from oil imports would offset the losses in Michigan jobs and revenue. Heck, maybe the price of the Volt could be dropped $10K due to reduced manufacturing and labor costs.
It is the Volt and it is made by GM. Opal is part of GM. It has slightly different plastics but it's a Volt.
We have already lost the jobs in Michigan, so outsourcing couldn't make it much worse. Since 2001 we have lost somewhere around 750,000 jobs. Tom
Hi Evan, That looks really uncomfortable. See how the console is intrudes into the driver's space. That was just like my Saturn SL2 was. The Driver has to contort his leg around the council to get the right foot on the gas pedal.
The Volt has marketing failure written all over it. Way overpriced. No doubt this is one of the reasons why the Obama team rejected GM. They have no low priced high mileage hybrids--including the Malibu, which isn't high mileage compared to the hybrid competition.
To fill out the specs: 1.7 litre common-rail turbo-diesel, 5-speed manual gearbox. On the EU fuel consumption test, it achieves 5.9L/100km (47.9mpg Imperial) urban, 3.5L/100km (80.7mpg) extra-urban, 4.4L/100km (64.2mpg) combined. CO2 emissions, 118g/km. 13.0s 0-62mph (from parkers.co.uk). It's actually a bit better for fuel economy than the current ecoFLEX model, but the new one accelerates faster (12.0 seconds). The new car is a 6-speed manual. 2G Prius comparison: 5.0 (56.5) urban, 4.2 (67.3) extra-urban, 4.3 (65.7) combined, 104g/km CO2. 3G Prius 15": 3.9/3.7/3.9, 89g/km CO2 3G Prius 17": 4.0/3.8/4.0, 92g/km CO2 Do be aware that the EU test disproportionately flatters the Prius. If you do a lot of motorway driving, and can't tolerate driving at 60-65mph, you may well be better off with a small diesel. (Bear in mind that diesel has about 11% more energy per litre than petrol. In the UK it costs anywhere from 6% to 15% more, but some countries have favourable tax rates for diesel.)
