Second Generation Ampera
Opel’s hybrid aren’t expected to begin until 2012, but the company is already planning the successor to the Chevy Volt’s European alter-ego. The second generation of the Opel / Vauxhall Ampera is scheduled for release in 2015 and it feature a more radical design and a lower starting price than the current model.
In the UK, the Vauxhall Ampera costs a rather steep £28,995. Opel engineers say that the battery pack alone costs around £7,000 but improvements in technology in the next four years will enable the company to reduce the cost by 50%.
Opel CEO Nick Reilly said the price of the Ampera will be further reduced by economies of scale due to increased demand and more localized production: “We have an education job to do on the technology of the Ampera, but that will come in time. We hope that it will establish itself as a market leader and we’ll be able to capitalize on that with a cheaper, more expressively designed second generation model”.
GM has to first assess sales of the model before it goes ahead with any decision, such as manufacturing its next generation in Europe, as it currently builds it alongside the Volt at its Warren, Michigan plant in the US. So far, things are looking good since 7,000 of the 10,000 units allocated for 2012 are already presold, with 75% of the sales going to fleet customers.
Opel would also like to give the next-gen Ampera a more aggressive style that will be more in line with the other models in its range.
The Opel’s designers didn’t have a lot of freedom in the first generation because of the restraints forced on them by the car being a rebadged Volt. If they get the green light, the 2015 model will follow the company’s new design, recently previewed in the brand-new Opel Zafira Tourer.
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