• The key for Opel/Vauxhall is to provide European consumers
the opportunity to leverage this revolutionary technology at
an affordable price within the earliest timeframe. The Opel/Vauxhall
Ampera will be derived directly from the same architecture to get it
into the market quickly, but there will be Opel/Vauxhall-specific design
interpretations, influenced by the “sculptural artistry meets German
precision” language introduced with the Insignia, that give the car its
own character. There will be more Opel/Vauxhall-distinctive elements
to come in the long term.
• Electrically driven vehicles are one of the best long-term solutions
for addressing society's energy and environmental concerns.
• GM is leading the reinvention of personal transportation through
the electrification of the automobile.
• The innovative Voltec electric propulsion technology, featured in the
Ampera, is an important step in the development of electrically driven
vehicles.
• The Ampera is a new type of electric car that is green, fun to drive
and suitable for everyday use. The Ampera has five doors and four
seats, delivers 60 kilometers of emission-free driving, and can travel
longer distances of more than 500 kilometers, thanks to an on-board
engine generator.
• Electricity is a fuel of the future because it is inexpensive, clean and
domestically produced.
• With the Ampera, Opel/Vauxhall will be the first European automobile
manufacturer to provide customers more than 500 kilometers of
extended-range electric driving.
• The Ampera is the first electrically driven car to provide zero range
anxiety (from being stranded by a dead battery) as well as zero
emissions.
• The Ampera uses electricity from a lithium-ion battery as the primary
source of energy to propel the car.
• The Ampera is always driven electrically.
• The Ampera could substantially reduce the need to refuel at petrol
stations for the majority of drivers as the all-electric range is greater
than the average daily commute for three-quarters of Europeans.
• The Ampera will greatly reduce tailpipe emissions (less than 40 grams
of CO2/km – under current European test cycle).
• Production of the Opel Ampera is scheduled to begin in late 2011.
Pricing has not been announced.