Opel has taken the decision to postpone the launch of its new hybrid plug-in model Ampera, the European twin of Chevrolet Volt. The move comes in the wake of the safety issues concerning the batteries of the Volt, issues that forced General Motors to announce that the all-electric Chevrolet Spark will be equipped with different lithium-ion batteries.

American authorities are still investigating the three cases of Chevrolet Volts catching fire in the aftermath of standard crash tests, with the flames that were generated by sparks coming off the battery package. Opel announced that until the investigation will shed light on the causes of the inconvenience, the whole process will be put on hold.

Opel has already begun to distribute the Ampera to its dealership networks in Germany, France, Switzerland, Holland and Belgium, while Chevrolet has already launched the Volt in Europe with the symbolic delivery of two units to the American embassy in France. A Chevrolet spokeperson confirmed that the investigation carried on by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the US over the fire risk of the model will not be affecting the schedule of its launch in Europe.

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Opel Ampera online pre-orders are available to be among the first owners of the Ampera on the European market in October. The new EREV model went on show at the MoTechEco sustainable mobility fair in Rome, where Opel released some extra information on the model. The engine has 111 kW and is powered by 16 Kwh batteries. The additional endothermic engine means the Ampera range is more than 500 km, with a “zero emissions” range of up to 80 km.

The Opel Ampera price starts at €42,900 it is now available for online pre-orders at the opel-ampera.com website as part of the “e-pioneer” program (dorky, we know, but dorky marketing messages and ecological cars sometimes go hand-in-hand). The pre-order costs €100 and Opel expects to deliver the first Ampera cars in October. Orders open to the general public start in November.

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How many Opel Amperas or Chevrolet Volts does the world need? A Buick-badged Opel Ampera could be in the making, according to Bloomberg, which would take the range-extending vehicle into a new premium brand and price-point. General Motors is apparently considering a Buick Ampera but hasn’t given the green light as yet.

The problem would seem to be how to distinguish the Buick model from the Opel/Chevrolet model, and then to justify its price-point given that Buick would have to offer something slightly more luxurious. Under consideration are ways to extend even further the range, or possibly add light materials but it’s likely that would prove to be an over-investment in the project.

A Buick-badged Ampera could also use a more traditional refurbishment of the interior to provide more luxury, and make for a more comfortable car in terms of high-quality finishes. Still, it would be quite expensive. The Chevrolet Volt costs about 41,000 USD while the Opel Ampera pricing in Europe is about €41,000. If a Buick Ampera appears, sales would start in 2013.

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Recently in Europe, diesel and petrol prices for our two family vehicles cost me respectively €1.413 and €1.526 a litre. So in considering a future family car, anything with low fuel consumption and possibly even a hybrid model would be more than welcome. If only we could afford it.

The Opel Ampera was set to be Europe’s version of the Chevrolet Volt, but now we’ll get both of them on the market and both for what is, frankly, a price most customers wouldn’t (or couldn’t) afford. The Opel Ampera will cost €950 less than the Chevrolet Volt at €41,000 euros. The Volt comes in at €41,950.

The choice to bring the Chevrolet Volt to Europe at that price appears even more bizarre when you consider that the Opel Ampera was already set to be available on the European car market. We can’t see either of these models driving out of showrooms in large numbers, despite the crisis in European fuel prices right now.

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The Opel Zafira Tourer Concept was revealed at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, alongside the European production version of the Ampera. The Zafira Tourer Concept is the precursor to the next generation Opel Zafira and shows off some added technical and comfort features on the inside.

There is a new Flex7 system of arranging the seven seats of the car so that boot space or cabin passenger space can be maximised. In terms of exterior design, the Zafira takes on the distinctive Ampera front with its boomerang-shaped headlights, and has softer and curvier lines than the previous model. The production model third generation Zafira will go on show later this year at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.

The final version of the Opel Ampera is the European homologated version of the Chevrolet Volt, equipped with the same Voltec hybrid platform. It is equipped with an electric motor with 11 kW and 370 Nm, and a 1.4-litre engine with another 84 hp which works as a range extender. Driving modes are City, Normal, Sport and Mountain. Acceleration to 100 km/hr takes nine seconds, the top speed is 161 km/hr and fuel consumption is absolutely minimal at 1.6 l/100 km. Pricing for the Ampera should be just shy of about 43,000 euros.

Opel Zafira Tourer Concept live at 2011 Geneva Motor Show

Continue reading: Opel Zafira Tourer Concept and Ampera live at Geneva

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A bigger and better version of Opel’s MPV in the form of the the Opel Zafira Tourer Concept will be revealed at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show in a few weeks. The new Zafira won’t substitute the old one at this stage, but will appear alongside it in a range expanding upwards. We wouldn’t have said the Opel line-up required a new version of the Zafira, not being particularly enamoured of the current one, but in looking at the competition intended, it makes sense.

Autocar says the Zafira Tourer Concept is being designed with a luxurious and entertaining interior, and should compete with the Ford Galaxy and S-Max. The current Zafira will get a facelift but will remain on the market more or less as is.

The Zafira Tourer Concept design sports the Ampera front, with its distinctive headlamps, and have the same sculptured sides as in other Opel models. The larger dimension will house seven people and Mark Adams, Opel design chief, has said it will be a kind of “lounge on wheels”. In addition to the Zafira concept, we will also see the full production model of the Opel Ampera at Geneva, along with the new start&stop ecoFLEX versions of the Opel Corsa and Opel Astra.

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The Opel Ampera pricing announcement will have made things difficult for the market launch of this model next year. With a general price across Europe of 42,900 euros, that makes the Ampera an expensive vehicle here. What’s more, the price is not market specific at this stage, with individual market prices to be announced later.

We can only assume that those prices will be higher when local taxes and optional extras for each individual European market are taken into account. The Chevrolet Volt (the US model the Opel Ampera is based on), costs about 41,000 USD as a starting price. At the current exchange rate, the euro Ampera price announced equates to about 58,000 USD.

According to Autocar, the UK Vauxhall Ampera could cost less and currently on that market there is an incentive scheme of 5,000 pounds for “eco-vehicles”. Nice if you live in England and still want to spend the money, but we can’t help wondering if Opel didn’t just price its Ampera right out of the European market.

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The 2010 Opel Corsa, Flextreme GT/E electric concept, final version Opel Ampera and the new Opel Meriva all appeared at the Opel stand at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. While the Opel Ampera with its range extending technology is now ready for its 2011 roll-out, the Flextreme GT/E represents another new electric-based model for Opel. It also uses the EREV architecture with range extending principles, using an electric motor with 163 hp, 16 Kw lithium batteries and a 1.4-litre engine with 72 hp. It has a total range of 500 km and an average fuel consumption of 1.6 l/100 km, with CO2 emissions of 40 g/km.

The new Opel Meriva with its Flexdoors is also on show at Geneva, displaying a vehicle that is taking on more ‘people mover’ features on a model that while larger, is still classed as a compact MPV. Also on display is the new 2010 Opel Corsa which, with its new makeover, should only continue the success of one of Europe’s most popular cars.

Opel stand live pics Geneva

Continue reading: Live at Geneva: new Opel Meriva, Corsa, Opel Ampera and Flextreme GT/E concept

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The Opel Ampera’s first image has been released, although the presentation as such is actually a trip from Rüsselsheim to Geneva, where it will likely appear at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. The Opel Ampera is the European sister to General Motors’ other electric car, the Chevrolet Volt. After the initial Ampera concept was presented at last year’s Geneva show, it’s going into production as a “range extending” vehicle, and not a hybrid car.

The Ampera front has undergone some slight changes, and front indicators are now included in the boomerang-shaped headlight set-up. The rear vision mirrors also include indicators but the overall profile and side design are so similar that this version looks pratically identical. The Ampera has a Voltec platform with a 1.4-litre aspirated engine with 100 hp and range extender. The battery/fuel combination gives the Ampera a 60 km zero-emission range, and a 500 km extended range. The fuel motor acts as a generator to the batteries, which can also be recharged via a 230V socket. For more details on how it works, see the Ampera website.

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The Opel Ampera has yet to see the market, but an electric SUV version is already in the works, according to reports. The large electric sedan is the European equivalent of the Chevrolet Volt, and now that Opel looks set to remain firmly in the hands of General Motors, the Opel Ampera is almost guaranteed production.

In that case, we could see an Ampera launch as early as 2011, with the electric SUV version turning up in 2013. The SUV may be a stand alone model or it could represent a new range with petrol and diesel models, too.

Source | Automarket

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The new Opel Astra will have an electric version that will debut no earlier than 2014. The Astra electric will utilise Voltec technology, the same on the Chevrolet Volt and the Opel Ampera. The technology is the key feature, as further versions of the Volt and Ampera are not planned and Voltec can easily migrate to other models.

The new five door Astra will appear at the Frankfurt show this year, while the Sports Tourer family will debut next year. The three door GTC version will also emerge in 2010, while the OPC will come out in 2011.

Source | Autocar

Continue reading: Astra to go electric in 2014

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Opel has presented its new Ampera model at the 2009 Geneva show, revealing a completely new model for the company. The biggest change is in Opel’s environmental outlook with the Ampera cutting CO2 emissions from 90-100 g/km of current models, to just 40.

This is not a step, but a jump into the future and hybrid models for Opel, even though the Ampera will not be available until 2011. Frank Weber from Opel, has also declared that the price has not been decided yet, but for this kind of innovation, we’re prepared to be patient.

The Ampera is an extended range electric vehicle, with combined electric and small four cylinder petrol engine: a 1.4 litre, 100 hp. The fuel motor acts as a kind of generator, or range-extender, given the car a range of about 600 km. The lithium ion batteries can be re-charged with a normal 230V socket. Have a look at the official Opel Ampera pics below.

Continue reading: Live at Geneva: Opel Ampera gallery

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