You'll remember last week that the Canadian supplier Magna and the Russian bank Sberbank took over 55 percent ownership of Opel/Vauxhall. GM retained a 35 percent stake, with Opel employees taking the remaining 10 percent.
Yet, an updated version of the Opel Ampera, a four-door, plug-in series hybrid based on the Chevrolet Volt, was still in Opel's booth at Frankfurt (the original version debuted in Geneva). Inside Line spoke with a GM official, who confirmed that the Ampera program is still on.
zoomzoomn says:
09:35 AM, 09/16/09
It should still be a go! GM needs a return on the investment...read more units sold.
alman08 says:
10:06 AM, 09/16/09
another rebadging effort. no one knows yet if anyone will actually pay that kind of money for the Volt, and if it turns out to be a failure, then it's a double trouble.
rwcole1 says:
10:45 AM, 09/16/09
$40K is just too much for an "economy car". I don't see people paying it when they can get a standard Prius for $20k.
The standard Prius if driven 1,00o miles per month, would cost $80 per month for gas at $4 per gallon. Say a plug in gets 100 mpg. That saves $500 per year in gasoline (but increases your electric bill some). It would take 20 years to recover the incremental investment.
The cost of the plug in would have to get down to $25k or so to make any sense.
dougtheeng says:
11:02 AM, 09/16/09
is it really an economy car on the inside? i know it is small size-wise, but i've never gotten the impression that its cheap feeling. The # of HP isn't the only thing that makes something worth spending for.
eventhorizon1 says:
06:00 PM, 09/16/09
I never got the impression, feature wise or quality wise, that the Volt is aiming for the econo-crowd. It may be compact (or even a small mid size), but it seems to be batting in premium leagues (ala VW).
We should be rooting for them, as a successful first gen, makes a more economical second gen possible.
estreka says:
09:32 AM, 09/17/09
Ampera? I bet Aptera is prepping a lawsuit even as we speak.