ampera

General Motors Vice Chairman Steve Girsky has had it up to his eyeballs with Europe. It's one thing to attempt to bail out GM's Opel subsidiary in the beleaguered European auto market. It's another to market the Opel Ampera plug-in hybrid to such tepid response. "All the governments in Europe ...

We still can't figure out where those wacky British will fit the gurney, but we'll let that go as we report that the UK version of the Chevrolet Volt will be tested as an ambulance across the pond. A Vauxhall Ampera, which, along with the Volt extended-range plug-in, was named the 2012 European ...

Before the Chevrolet Volt launched in late 2010, General Motors representatives were boldly talking about some big production numbers, like 60,000 or 45,000 Volts a year. It's been a rocky road since then, and the reality was more subdued. The General sold 7,671 Volts in 2011 and 23,461 in 2012. ...

The Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid was the top selling plug-in hybrid vehicle in the United Kingdom, with 470 sold since being introduced to the market in July 2012. That means the Prius Plug-in Hybrid outsold the Vauxhall Ampera plug-in hybrid, Toyota says. The sales lead happened even though the ...

General Motors' Vauxhall division in the UK is looking to spur sales of the Chevrolet Volt sister vehicle by giving prospective buyers a chance to drive the extended-range plug-in for 30 days – then return it if they don't like it. Vauxhall is offering a 30-day holiday-themed "satisfaction ...

Fleet owners in the Netherlands are finding out that you can overshoot the mark by 80 percent in fuel consumption with plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Leasing company Arval (which is known in the US as major fleet management and leasing company PHH Arval) surveyed fleets leasing the Opel ...

Some say the Vauxhall Ampera extended-range plug-in can do amazing things, but we're pretty sure the sister vehicle to the Chevrolet Volt can't float on water. That's what the U.S. model is for. Across the pond, General Motors' UK Vauxhall is making a different kind of association between ...

Lost in translation, Vol. 2. An advertisement for the Chevrolet Volt's sister vehicle was banned in the UK for what an advertising watchdog group said was a misleading claim about the extended-range plug-in's driving range, UK's Daily Mail reports. The ad for the Vauxhall Ampera showed ...

We're close, but we're not that close. That's what Rita Forst, head of development at General Motors' Opel division, seemed to be saying when discussing the possibility of GM and PSA Peugeot Citroën sharing advanced-powertrain trade secrets. Speaking at an automotive industry conference in ...

Lost in translation? Opel, General Motors' European unit, says its Ampera – the better-looking sister vehicle to the Chevrolet Volt – is Europe's best-selling passenger electric vehicle, accounting for more than one in five EVs sold in the continent. Opel, citing May sales numbers, ...

Former General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz went bicep-to-bicep with "America's ballsiest pundit," Stephen Colbert, last night – and came out ahead. Ostensibly, Lutz was on Colbert to talk about his new book, Car Guys Vs. Bean Counters, but as one might expect, the discussion veered into ...

Most gearheads know the Opel Ampera is the European near-twin of the Chevy Volt. There are obvious exterior differences, such as the Ampera's "boomerang" headlights and Opel badging, but inside, the only noticeable difference is another Opel badge on the steering wheel. Bradley Hasemeyer and the ...

The Chevrolet Volt's European sibling took home a checkered flag that might as well have been green instead of black and white. The Ampera extended-range plug-in hybrid vehicle won the this year's alt-fuel version of the Rally Monte Carlo on a combination of strong driving performance and ...

Think James Garner in "Grand Prix," only quieter. General Motors' Opel division is entering six Ampera extended-range plug-in vehicles in an alternative energy version of the Rally Monte Carlo this week, as the company looks to boost exposure for the European version of the Chevrolet Volt. The ...

Found in translation? Demand for the Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in hybrid vehicle in the U.S. has been up and down over the car's first 16-odd months, but executives at General Motors' Opel division in Europe are saying that the Ampera, the Volt's European twin, is getting some good ...

The Chevrolet Volt may not be selling well, but it's one of the most lauded cars in history. Today the plug-in hybrid was named the 2012 European Car of the Year, an award it will share with its European fraternal twin, the Opel Ampera. The Volt won North American Car of the Year in 2011, while ...

Americans have our own ideas about what a police cruiser should be: big, fast, menacing. The kind of vehicle that you can't mistake pulling up behind you on the freeway, and with enough muscle to chase you down should your foot get a little heavier than it should. But overseas, police vehicles ...

Automotive News reports that, as suspected, Opel is delaying delivery of its Ampera extended-range hybrid to customers. The plug-in gas-electric hatchbacks have already arrived at dealers across Europe, but the automaker wants to ensure the vehicles' batteries are safe even in the event of an ...

The Opel Ampera may be very similar to the Chevy Volt under the skin, but a lot of people in the U.S. would argue that the Euro-plug-in's skin is far more attractive. Apparently a lot of Europeans agree. First year production for the Ampera had been targeted for 8,000 units, but high demand has ...

The Vauxhall Ampera, a vehicle that General Motors describes as Europe's only "zero range anxiety" electric, has been named the Green Car of the Year 2011 by What Car?, one of the UK's leading consumer-focused motoring magazine. What Car? Editor-In-Chief, Chas Hallett states: