Opel Ampera to head GM's environmentally friendly vehicle offensive

Geneva - With the premiere of the Opel Ampera, General Motors Europe presented today at the Geneva Motor Show its line-up of products poised to move the company forward in these tough economic times.

“The Ampera is a new category of car that closes the gap between hybrids and battery electric vehicles,” said Carl-Peter Forster, President of GM Europe at the GM press conference. “Its ground-breaking Voltec electric propulsion system is the kind of game-changing technology the automotive industry needs to respond to energy and environmental challenges.”

For journeys up to 60 km, the five-door, four-seat hatchback runs on electricity stored in a 16-kWh lithium-ion battery and emits zero CO2. When the battery’s energy is depleted, electricity from an on-board engine-generator extends the Ampera’s range to more than 500 kilometers. When it arrives in dealerships in 2011, the Ampera will be the first extended-range electric car in Europe.

While concentrating on measures to right-size the business, GM remains focused now on providing high quality, attractive brands and leading technologies especially in the field of environmental compatibility, Forster added.

For example, under Opel’s ecoFLEX roof, the brand houses a range of low emission, fun-to-drive cars, like the new Opel Insignia ecoFLEX, which features a 2.0-liter CDTI turbo diesel engine that produces 160 horsepower and 350 Nm of torque. This car is among the leaders in the mid-size sedan segment with emissions of less than 140 g/km of CO2.

(March 03, 2009)