GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site

Previously GM announced they would be unveiling the European version of the Chevy Volt, the Opel Ampera at the Geneva Auto Show in March.  They provided us with a teaser photo that when given careful scrutiny suggested it was actually the same Volt body with signature Opel branding.

The vehicle is known to use the identical compact Delta platform and Voltec extended range electric car drivetrain as the Volt too.

Expected to arrive in Europe in 2011,  GM-Volt.com also found out that the car would continue to use the same gas generator configuration the Chevy Volt did, without a diesel genset that some speculated.

Apparently the European Union trademark office required some sketches of the upcoming car and thus its cover was broken.

Lo and behold, its a Volt with Opel branding.

Of course does it really matter?  After all its really about getting the country and the world off of oil.

Source (Autoblog)

Gallery:

We just found out last night, GM had given its European Voltec-propelled EREV sedan an official name, the Opel Ampera. We also were given a teaser photo indicating that the car had a very similar styling to the Chevy Volt (see above) although when compared directly, seems to have a squatter, wider, more splayed-out aggressive look.

I was able to gain some more information about the car and what it represents from GM sources.

GM wants it to be clear that although the Opel Ampera will indeed arrive first in Europe as a production vehicle, that they also intend to bring the Chevy Volt there as well. This will then give European customers two GM extended-range electric car options for sale.

I was also told that the Ampera will use the same Voltec platform underpinning the Chevy Volt and that it will have the same 1.4 L generator burning gasoline/E85. Specifically, it will not have a diesel generator despite that fact that such a possibility had previously been demonstrated in the Opel Flextreme concept.

Furthermore, Volt vehicle line director Frank Weber wrote a post about the Ampera on GMs Fastlane blog. He noted the Ampera “will be true to its roots by offering the distinctive styling, dynamic efficiency, versatility and affordability European customers have come to expect from Opel.”

He also outlined the similarities of the Volt and the Ampera as follows:

-The Opel Ampera and Chevrolet Volt are production programs designed to meet the needs of thousands of customers (not a modified production vehicle for fleet or demo drives.)

-The Opel Ampera and Chevrolet Volt will meet all safety standards for North America, Europe and Asia.

-The Opel Ampera and Chevrolet Volt will give most drivers a petroleum-free daily driving experience without range-anxiety associated with battery electric vehicles

-The Opel Ampera and Chevrolet Volt will offer a fun and highly refined driving experience

Source (FastLane)

It has been known for some time that that Chevy Volt is a global vehicle intended to be sold and driven in many of the countries GM does business.  Europe is clearly a key market intended for this car.  We have also heard that the Volt will first appear there under the Opel brand, which is known for advanced technology.

The automaker has just announced that it will reveal what appears to be the European version of the Chevy Volt at the Geneva Auto Show on March 3rd.

They have given the five-door four-seater car its own name, the Opel Ampera.  As well a teaser photo has been released. There are no technical specs at this point, however the photo shows the body is unmistakably that of the Chevy Volt although with signature Opel branding features. It is unknown whether this vehicle will use a diesel or gasoline range extender, but the first 60 km of driving will indeed be on pure electricity.

Per said Alain Visser, GM Europe Chief Marketing Officer, “With the Ampera, Opel will be the first European automobile manufacturer to provide customers several hundred kilometers of non-stop electric driving,”

It was also noted that “additional information on the Opel Ampera will be released March 3 at the Geneva Motor Show.”

UPDATE: GM Voltec spokesperson David Darovitz has confirmed to GM-Volt.com that the car is indeed the European version of the Chevy Volt.

The vehicle will also be produced as the Vauxhall Ampera.

Source (GM)

In late 2007, GM unveiled the Opel Flextreme concept car and later showed it rebadged as Saturn.

The vehicle has a unique monocab design, but importantly, like the Chevy Volt, is also an E-Flex vehicle. It is meant to demonstrate how the range-extender could also be diesel and how the E-Flex E-REV drivetrain could be implemented in a utility vehicle body.

Many have praised the design.

Today GM announced that the Opel Flextreme was recognized by an international jury and received the prestigious red dot award in a ceremony in Singapore.

I asked GMs Director of Communications from Opel in Europe, Jean-Philippe Kempf, whether since the design has been so acclaimed that GM might move it into production.

He replied:

While I cannot directly comment on future products, I can tell you that you will see further implementations and evolutions of the new Opel design language in future Opel on one hand, and that the E-REV concept will also be deployed within the GM brands.
Do not expect to see the Flextreme hit production. But stay tuned, and you will find many of (not all) the ideas it contains in future Opel products.

Vijay Iyer who is GM Europe’s Manager of Design Communication told me the following:

We expect the first iteration of  an Opel/Vauxhall E-REV to be quite close to the Volt, but there could well be Opel/Vauxhall specific designs in the future.

Source (GM)

Carl-Peter Forster is GMs European president.  He wrote a blog post about the Volt , inspired by all the media interest he witnessed at the London Motor Show.

He wrote how the US will get the Volt in late 2010 assuming "we will continue to attain all of our goals and milestones for the battery and integration of the power electronics."

He then confirmed Europe will get the EREV one year later, or late 2011.

Then he finally clarified under which brand it will appear.  Since GMs goal is to get the technology into a high volume brand, for Europe is will make its appearance as an Opel/Vauxhall and will "be derived directly from the Chevrolet Volt to get into the market quickly".  He then adds that Chevrolet will get the car there several months later.

He assures the European market that "more variations for Opel-specific designs of EREVs are already in the works," but gave no clues about them.

He added that European production capability for EREVs will be essential, and continued to support the idea of consumer government incentives and a super CO2 credit for GM for these vehicles which would increase GMs average CO2 credit for its entire fleet for a smaller volume of EREVs.

Source (Driving Conversations )

Not only is the Volt planned for America, but it has been clear from the start that the Volt will be a global vehicle.  We are already aware the Volt will be built in Detroit for US consumption.  Now there is news GM is looking to build a Volt plant overseas as well.

Reports out of London suggest GM is studying Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port plant on Merseyside as the possible European Chevy Volt assembly plant.

This information came from GM European President Carl-Peter Forester who also recently met with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Forester further suggested that the Volt could be built under all three European brands, Chevrolet, Opel, and Vauxhall. He said he wasn’t worried about branding identity problems, just that he wanted to get the cars out to as many dealers as possible.

He noted that the Flextreme design wouldn’t be part of the first generation of cars, which, built in America, will hit Europe either in late 2011 or 2012.

Forester also indicated that the first European E-Flex vehicles would cost about €40,000, and says "we won’t make a cent of profit on that €40,000," citing high battery price as the reason profiting would be difficult.

He floated the idea of having European utility companies finance the batteries at subsidized rates and then selling the electricity.

On a related note, Prime Minister Brown also announced a plan for the British government to provide £90 million over the next 5 years to help, among other things, build an electric car charging infrastructure on "thousands" of British streets.

Source (Financial Times ) and (just-auto, subscription )