Opel Straightline Archives

 

Opel has confirmed to Automotive News that they are holding back sales of the Ampera while the company sets up "the process to deal with these highly charged batteries to make sure they are safe." Amperas are already sitting at dealerships in Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium and Holland waiting to be delivered to customers.

The Ampera, like the Volt, is built in the Hamtramck plant outside of Detroit and features the same lithium-ion battery pack, built by South Korean firm LG Chem, which has caused GM so much concern lately.

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Categories: Chevrolet,Electric Vehicles,General Motors,Hybrids,Opel

Here's another loose end from last week's 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show: The bright yellow Opel three-door hatchback, the Astra GTC, we kept walking past in Hall 8 might actually come to the U.S. We'd figured GM was done with Americanizing compact hatchbacks after the Saturn Astra experiment -- not to mention Buick is just about to launch the Verano sedan, which uses the same basic platform architecture as the Astra GTC.

Nevertheless, in a briefing with media and analysts at Opel's Russelsheim, Germany, headquarters after the show, Opel's Karl-Friedrich Stracke observed, "I could easily see it as a Buick."

It's unclear exactly which engine(s) a U.S. version would use, but a 177-hp 1.6-liter four-cylinder is the top gasoline engine offered in Europe right now. A high-performance OPC motor is in the works, though, and hot Astras have used forced induction in years past.

More interesting to us is the Astra GTC's adoption of the HiPerStrut suspension design a la Regal GS to control torque steer. The GTC also has a lowered ride height and a wider track than other Astras. There'd be no reason to do all this if more power wasn't in the pipeline. If anybody's listening, the 2.0-liter Regal GS motor would suit us just fine. Other ideas?

(Auto Observer)

 

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Categories: Buick,Frankfurt Auto Show,Hatchbacks,Opel

 

According to CAR Magazine, General Motors is once again considering selling its GM Europe holdings, ridding itself of its Opel and Vauxhall divisions. In a more surprising development, though, CAR reports that the German government has held talks with Volkswagen in an effort to keep what Chancellor Angela Merkel considers a vital national interest out of Chinese control.

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Categories: Auto Industry,General Motors,Opel,Volkswagen

 

 The long-running rumor is that Buick will reach across the pond, pluck the Opel Astra from the foreign fleet, dump some America-friendly badgework on it, and sell it in here. It sounded like a solid plan when Saturn did it, and it still sounds like a solid plan-- especially if it's going to look like this.

This is the three-door Opel Astra GTC which we'll see in an official capacity at the Frankfurt Motor Show which happens in fall. The GTC features new suspension tuning with HiPerstrut up front -- like in the Lacrosse CXL which we've been driving this week and in the Buick Regal GS -- and FlexRide chassis control. FlexRide offers three calibrations; sport, tour and standard. Rear suspension is a Watt's Link.

The Astra GTC has a turbocharged 1.4-liter four cylinder is available with either 120 or 140 horsepower, whil a bigger 1.6-liter turbo makes 180. The Astra GTC also features highly adjustable seats which include four-way lumbar and leg extension.

The question is: Should it be in the U.S. and, if so, should it be a Buick?  

 

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Categories: Future Vehicles,Hatchbacks,Opel

 

Stop me if you've heard this one before, because lord knows I have. Once again, the rumor mill is churning with news that the redesigned Opel Astra GTC would be heading stateside with a Buick badge. 

This time, however, we've got a little more weight behind the claim. What started out as a report from CnD was later confirmed by a "source familiar with General Motors' plans for Buick" by Automotive News.

And while Saturn never struck gold with the redesigned last-gen Opel Insignia (Aura), Buick is finding great success with the Regal -- a current-gen Insignia. Admittedly, the Regal is a far better car than the Aura, the success of the Regal can't simply be attributed to better metal; Buick has a buzz right now with near-luxury consumers put off by the standard brands, their sales are up more than 50% year-over-year. The odds that Buick can pull off the Astra when Saturn could not seem good. I've always liked the Astra and hoped they'd give it another shot.

The Astra would join the Verano in Buick's small-car fleet.

Categories: Buick,Future Vehicles,Hatchbacks,Opel,Saturn

Would you feel any different about buying a Volt if it had a Buick badge and various additional Buick-grade amenities?

The Opel Ampera has been running around Michigan for months now -- no surprise since it's a lightly rebadged version of the U.S.-developed Chevrolet Volt series-parallel plug-in hybrid. But now there's a report on Bloomberg that suggests the Ampera will don a Buick grille and badges sometime in 2013.

Sounds plausible to us. Detroit was think with Opel Insignias and then we got the Regal. Now what to name the Buick "Ampera"?

Bloomberg

Long-Term Road Test Blog: 2011 Chevrolet Volt

Categories: Buick,Future Vehicles,Hybrids,Opel

Look for a slew of new or updated models in the coming years and less reliance on trucks, said General Motors Co. today in a marathon meeting with the bank and investment-community analysts GM hopes to convince that the company is ready to have another go at being a publicly-held operation - rather than the "Government Motors" of today that is 60 percent owned by the U.S. Department of Treasury.

GM spoke about future product broadly in relation to how the new metal will boost the company's bottom line, but was short on specifics, saying mainly that GM plans to launch 70 new or refreshed models around the globe by 2014. And perhaps unfortunately for us, a lot of those will be in markets outside the U.S., where GM projects most of its growth in the next four years.

In the U.S., though, expect GM to devote less to trucks ("We cannot rely on the large truck business to carry us in the future," said vice chairman Steven Girksy) and put on a major push to make mid-cycle refreshes (the term "facelift" is falling out of fashion) more "impactful," according to product-development boss Tom Stephens.

And are low-volume, strange-brew cars like the now-defunct Pontiac Solstice in danger at the new GM? Stephens said 80 percent of all GM vehicles will be based on global platforms by 2014. Whether that means for the development of niche cars -- or low-volume, dedicated-platform stuff like the Corvette -- remains to be seen.

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Categories: Auto Industry,Buick,Cadillac,Chevrolet,GMC,General Motors,Opel

General Motors is moving right along with extended-range plug-in hybrid development, as this 2012 Opel Ampera, sibling of the Chevrolet Volt, was spotted on a Michigan freeway over the weekend. 

The resemblance to the Volt is unmistakable, but the unique front fascia on this prototype matches earlier versions of the Ampera seen at the Geneva auto show. The rear fascia has also been reworked with Opel-specific detailing, and though it's tough to see in this photo, the taillight clusters have been retrofitted with the amber turn signals required in Europe.

The drivetrain is exactly the same as the Volt's with a front-drive electric motor drawing power from a lithium-ion battery pack and a 1.4-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine. The plan, of course, is to spread this drivetrain across a range of models to help bring costs down.

Opel plans to begin 2012 Ampera sales in late 2011. After that, we think the Volt MPV5 unveiled in Beijing might give rise to the next extended-range hybrid model for both Opel and Chevrolet.

First Drive: 2011 Chevrolet Volt

Categories: Chevrolet,Future Vehicles,Hybrids,Opel,Sedans,Spy Photos

Let there be no doubt: The hot-rodded Buick Regal that the company unveiled as a concept vehicle at this year's Detroit Auto Show, the GS, will be going to production.

Take a peek at the photo we grabbed of a what is clearly a Buick-ized version of the Opel Insignia OPC, the European-market model on which the GS is based. The vertical air intakes on the nose are a sure give-away to this blacked-out protoype's high-performance nature. The prototype, which still wears an Opel logo in on the trunk lid, even sports the three-badge Buick logo on the front grille.

The eventual production version will share the Opel's adjustable suspension system, its big wheels and its manual-transmission. It will not, however, use the Opel's turbo V6 (which is also used in the Cadillac SRX turbo). If you believe Buick's Detroit-show vehicle, the GS could come with turbo-charged four-cylinder power. But Buick might yet decide that the direct-injected 3.6-liter V6 that currently does duty in the Chevrolet Camaro and Cadillac CTS is better suited to the car.

Categories: Buick,General Motors,Opel,Sedans,Spy Photos

Although GM's headlining act at next month's 2010 Detroit Auto Show is the 2011 Cadillac CTS-V coupe, leaked reports across the internet indicate that the automaker will also show a Buick Regal GS. If approved for production, the GS would be the high-performance mode in the Regal line.

 Inside Line has learned that the show car uses many parts from the European-spec Opel Insignia OPC shown here. There has been no confirmation of which engine is in the show car, much less any commitment on the motor that might be used in a hypothetical production car. But perhaps we'll see some Recaro seats and Brembo brake calipers.

It has also been leaked that GM will unveil a concept version of the Chevrolet Aveo called the RS (said to be larger than any production Aveo to date), plus a GM concept car called the Granite. The latter is described as an "urban utility vehicle," and you know how much we love those.

First Drive: 2011 Buick Regal

Categories: Auto Industry,Buick,Chevrolet,Detroit Auto Show,GMC,Opel,Sedans

This is going to blow your mind: The 2011 Buick Regal will be offered with a manual transmission. Seriously. Really. We're not joking.

What's next? A pole-dancing nun? A sane Courtney Love? Ham-and-cheese-flavored ice cream? Here's how we know that the Regal, reborn as a quasi sports sedan and basically a rebaged version of the Opel Insignia, will come in a three-pedal version: We drove it. Look for a full story to come.

But, suffice to say, we hopped in the Regal-ized Opel at a GM event this morning in Michigan, rolled down the window and called Jim Federico, the man behind the Insignia/Regal, over and said something to the effect of "This is a manual. What the hell?" To which Federico responded that the 2.0-liter turbo version of the Regal (which will arrive a few months after the car debuts in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2010) will eventually be offered with the 6-speed manual we were about to drive.

While in no way consistent with what Buick has been for at least a couple of decades (a former Buick PR person once told us that we would begin loving Buicks when we became elderly), the inclusion of the manual indicates GM's intent to young-up Buick using performance.

It's probably no coincidence that GM also had in attendance the Opel Insignia OPC model that is powered by a 325 hp version of the 2.8-liter turbocharged V6 also used in the Cadillac SRX turbo and the Saab Turbo X. This lends credence to the recently floated and Bob Lutz-attributed rumor of a GS performance version of the Regal going on sale in the U.S. in the near future. No word whether any future GS would carry this turbo motor.

Now back to your regularly scheduled car world.

Categories: Buick,General Motors,Opel,Sedans

The deal to sell Opel is officially off. General Motors announced today it will keep its German subsidiary.

Back in September GM announced it would sell a 55-percent stake in Opel/Vauxhall to the consortium of the Canadian parts supplier Magna and the Russian bank Sberbank (representing the Russian automaker GAZ). Opel employees would have gotten a 10-percent stake and GM would have held onto 35 percent.

But the deal was delayed when the European Union expressed concern that it violated EU law: The German government had promised $6.6 billion in aid to Opel, but only if GM sold its subsidiary to Magna/Sberbank (which were thought to be most amenable to preserving German union jobs). This essentially made other bidders, among them RHJ International, the Belgian affiliate of private equity firm Ripplewood Holdings, less attractive. European press reports indicate that Germany subsequently relented and said it would provide the same aid package to other bidders.

It's not yet clear exactly what role this issue played in today's decision, thought Reuters reports that GM's board met immediately after the EU pressed GM officials to confirm that the company still would have chosen Magna/Sberbank had it known that Germany would have provided aid to any of the bidding companies.

Of course, there's nothing about this matter in GM's press release, in which Fritz Henderson states, "While strained, the business environment in Europe has improved. At the same time, GM's overall financial health and stability have improved significantly over the past few months, giving us confidence that the European business can be successfully restructured."

The release also indicates that GM estimates restructuring costs for Opel at 3 billion euros ($4.4 billion) --"significantly lower than all bids submitted as part of the investor solicitation."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is in Washington, DC, this week, so it will be interesting to see if she weighs in on this announcement. The sale of Opel was a hot-button issue during her recent reelection campaign.

Reuters

Categories: Auto Industry,General Motors,Opel

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.

Categories: Frankfurt Auto Show,Green Tech,Hybrids,Opel

Two weeks ago it seemed doubtful that General Motors would do a deal for Opel with Magna. Today, though, GM announced its support for the sale of a 55-percent stake in Opel (and British Vauxhall) to the Magna-Sberbank consortium.

Magna is the big Canadian parts supplier leading a Russian consortium that includes the state-owned bank, Sberbank, and the Russian automaker GAZ. In the deal, Magna and Sberbank will each get a 27.5-percent stake in Opel, while Opel employees will hold 10 percent, with GM keeping a 35-percent stake.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her approval over the deal. She's facing an election, and the Opel sale is a big political issue in Germany. Of the two bidders, Magna-Sberbank and the Belgian investment firm, RHJ International, the Germans preferred Magna, which is thought to be more amenable to preserving German manufacturing jobs (half of all Opel employees are based in Germany). The fact that Merkel promised government financial backing for a Magna-Sberbank deal is very likely what tipped this in the Russians' favor.

Under this deal, 10,000 jobs will be cut, but only a quarter will be in Germany. This has of course elevated concern among Vauxhall employees in the UK, which is Opel's second-largest country of operation.

All along, GM is thought to have preferred RHJ, which made a simpler bid. In addition, GM officials have expressed concern over the flow of intellectual property and product development responsibilities to Russia, which is apparently on the other side of the earth from Detroit.

GM will still be involved in product development under the Magna/Sberbank deal, though, as the Opel Insignia (Vauxhall version pictured) and Astra will continue to provide the basis for GM cars sold in the U.S. 

Reuters

Financial Times (sub.req)

Categories: Auto Industry,General Motors,Manufacturers,Opel

Would Americans start digging wagons again if they looked like this German Opel?

Categories: Opel,Wagons

Last week it was Chrysler, this week Fiat is attempting to buy Opel, GM's German subsidiary. The goal is the formation of a European supergroup similar in scope to Volkswagen.

According to a report in the Financial Times, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne aims to split Fiat's car operations from the conglomerate's other  businesses and combine it with Opel, Saab and its newly acquired stake in Chrysler. "From an engineering and industrial point of view, this is a marriage made in heaven," Marchionne told the FT.

History shows that such mergers rarely end up creating much value, but Marchionne is hoping that the depressed state of the industry opens a few door in his drive to remake Fiat into a global powerhouse.

FT

Categories: Auto Industry,Chrysler,Fiat,Opel

There are plenty of interesting details buried within GM's latest rescue plan, but one in particular caught our eye. In the "product plan" section, it states:

Planned Chevrolet Volt and two additional models sharing Volt's extended range vehicle technology

Now we know that GM plans to roll out the Opel Ampera at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show next week, but the third vehicle is a little tougher to pin down.

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Categories: Cadillac,Chevrolet,Concept Vehicles,Coupes,Detroit Auto Show,Future Vehicles,General Motors,Green Tech,Hybrids,Opel,SUVs,Sedans

Set for a world debut at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show, the Opel Ampera will use the same Voltec powertrain as the 2011 Chevrolet Volt. GM released a teaser shot of the five-passenger sedan and it's pretty obvious that Opel tried its best to differentiate the European sedan from its U.S. counterpart.

Then again, given how large a role aerodynamics plays in a car like this, the Ampera probably won't deviate from the Volt all that much. GM's claims for its fuel efficiency are quite familiar, metrically speaking of course, about 60 kilometers on pure electric and "several hundred kilometers of non-stop electric driving."  

No word yet on whether or not GM sees any problem with the fact that there's an electric vehicle called the Aptera being built in the U.S. but we're pretty sure no one will confuse the two, except us maybe.

Categories: Chevrolet,Future Vehicles,General Motors,Geneva Motor Show,Green Tech,Opel,Sedans

This sort of fell between the cracks in our Geneva show coverage. It's an Opel GT with a V8 of unspecified origin by performance enhancer Irmscher, and is called the Irmscher GT i40.

Now we know there's a 6.0L GM V8, and I wonder if it could fit under the hood of the Pontiac Solstice? Mr...

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Categories: All Auto Shows,Geneva Motor Show,Opel,Pontiac,Sports Cars

Meet the Astra...soon to be docking at a Saturn dealership near you.

Inside Line drove the 2007 Opel Astra, which will be coming to the U.S. as the 2008 Saturn Astra. GM spent a lot of time perfecting the Astra's look and refining the interior with easy-to-operate quality equipment...

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Categories: Opel,Saturn