Opel not planning any new small cars, focuses on Flextreme instead
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Opel Flextreme
A while back, there were rumblings from Opel that the European brand from GM was considering entering the micro car segment currently occupied by vehicles like the smart fortwo and the upcoming Toyota iQ. That rumored vehicle was to be powered by a repurposed motorcycle engine, much like what has been said concerning the budding Toyota model. Now, though, it sounds as if those plans have been scrapped as Opel now sees the largest growth markets coming from normal entry-level vehicles and über-luxury vehicles, classes which bookend the auto industry.
According to GM of Europe's leader, Carl-Peter Forster, Opel is still hard at work on its hybrid model, which was previewed by the Flextreme concept. GM's head in America, Rick Wagoner, echoed that comment but added that there could be more electric vehicles coming from Opel than just the Flextreme. All of these electric vehicles would be based on the E-Flex drivetrain which will underpin future GM vehicles like the Flextreme and Chevy Volt.
Gallery: 2007 Opel Flextreme concept
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
EV-1 5:43PM (7/01/2008)
I checked this one out because at a glance, I thought it looked neat.
Only to discover THE most stupid rear end I've seen in my life. Ever.
That's gotta be the most brainless piece of shit ever projected to be put on a "car".
I'm not even sure it's not a joke ?
Are we supposed to laugh at that ?
And it's not an EV ( which COULD excuse lunacy in other areas to some extent )
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Wave54 7:09PM (7/01/2008)
It's a concept vehicle -- the Segway pod would never make production. It wastes too much cargo space for the very few people who'd want it.
Being the Euro cousin to the Volt, it depends on how you define "EV". The drivetrain is electric with a diesel engine range extender,
Some photos and comparison between Volt/Flextreme:
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/09/10/meet-the-euro-volt-opel-flextreme-concept-has-ultra-low-emissio/
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