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Opel-Badged Chevrolet Volt Killed In Europe
by
Derek Kreindler
(IC: employee)
Published: July 21st, 2014
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The Opel Ampera, an Opel-badged Chevrolet Volt, will be killed off in Europe due to slow sales.
The Ampera will be axed after just one generation – with a new Volt being launched in the second half of 2015, an Opel (and presumably Vauxhall) version will not be produced.
Automotive News Europe reports that Ampera sales slid dramatically in 2013. In Germany, the Ferrari F12 supercar has sold nearly twice as many units as the Ampera.
Derek Kreindler
More by Derek Kreindler
Published July 21st, 2014 3:01 PM
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Nooo and just as the Green party was coming in to put deposit on 5,000 examples.
This car almost fit perfectly for Norway. We usually commute reasonably short distances on an everyday basis, have cheap electricity, and have a tax system that favours electric cars. Only problem is, it has a gas driven generator (range extender), which gave it a lot less of the advantages the Tesla has over here (and makes it look as intelligent as Top Gears 'Hammerhead-Eagle-I-Thrust'(Geoff). Fully electric cars are completely tax excempt, including the usual 25% sales tax. Not to mention it's made by people famous for occasionally lacking the ability to build a proper car, and an attention to detail that is sub-par to any of it's competitors. Here in Norway a Tesla Model S starts at less than $80K,(Ampera is rouglhy 60K) which is about the same as a loaded mid-size car (or less than a loaded TSX wagon or CRV) while being as powerful as a 200K car since our arcaic registration-tax system is based on what would be a powerful car in 1960. Our rulemakers never thought there would be luxurious electric cars either, and apparently never noticed all the hype about the Tesla... So, a small country with roughly 5 million people, most of whom are upper middle class, buy half of the Teslas that are built...and save tons of money on gas, toll booths, congestion lanes, etc
Norway is truly a blessed country: First, it has lots and lots of natural resources. Second, it has well educated people that properly manage those resources.
They should also kill the Volt in the U.S. and it's monstrosity cousin the Cadillac ELR or ELX or EL something. Both aren't selling and never will.