Vauxhall employees to miss out on building Ampera ER-EV
Opel Ampera - Click above for a high-res gallery
When General Motors unveiled the Opel Ampera at the Geneva Motor Show last March, employees at Vauxhall got their hopes raised that they would eventually get to build the sibling of the Chevy Volt. Last year, it looked like Voltec-based vehicles could find a home at Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port factory thanks to some British government incentives. That wouldn't have happened at the start of production anyway because initial volumes will likely be too low to support two factories. However, the recent agreement to sell Opel and Vauxhall to a group led by Magna International means that is unlikely to ever happen. For the foreseeable future, any and all variants of the Volt will be sourced from the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant.
Gallery: Geneva 2009: Opel Ampera reveal
Gallery: Opel Ampera
[Source: AutoExpress]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
alexacoon 7:21PM (6/09/2009)
Am i alone in thinking this version is far nicer looking than the yawn fest that is the volt?
For a car that is so important to GM I find it troubling that the majority of those who do not keep up on the auto industry it will look like a Prius with a Malibu grill tacked on.
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ziv 9:32AM (6/10/2009)
There is a bit of a similar look to many aerodynamic cars, but I think the Volt comes close to looking as good as the concept car. It is a sporty looking ride, and that is important, but what is critical is 40 miles all electric then drive all day on gasoline/e85. With a Volt I would have needed about 30 gallons of gas for the entire year of 2008 and my total energy (elec and gas) cost would have been less than $500 not the $1800 I actually spent. And my electricity bill goes to an american firm, not OPEC. And I can put up a wind generator or pv cell on the roof of my home and produce my own energy.
The Volt looks great, and cars like it will change the world.
Check out the Volt below.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22380333@N05/3612156646/sizes/l/
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