Goodbye Opel Ampera, hello new Opel EV

Although Karl-Thomas Neumann, Opel Chief Executive, said at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year that the Ampera was here to stay, he has recently taken to Twitter to announce its end, and future EV replacement. Neumann said on Twitter, “After the eventual run-out of the current generation Ampera, we’ll introduce a successor product in the electric vehicle segment... Our next electric vehicle will be part of our massive product offensive – with 27 new vehicles in the 2014-2018 time frame... We see eMobility as an important part of the mobility of tomorrow and we will continue to drive down costs and deliver affordability.” There have been rumours circulating for a while that Opel was set to add a full-electric car to its line-up before 2018, but it is not yet known whether the next model will be a pure EV, or another extended-range hybrid. However, Neumann was quick to note that Opel will not be moving into the low-budget segment, saying, “We leave this place to others... No budget car, but a real Opel (quality, innovation, German engineering)!” This is quite a turnaround from earlier this year, when Neumann spoke to Automotive World at the Geneva Motor Show about the Ampera. He said, “We have been here [Europe] relatively early with the Ampera. It has been Car of the Year, and it has been the best selling electric car in Europe. Last year it sold 3,200 cars... It’s something to sell 3,200 of such cars because they are all expensive due to the technology. It’s very important to have them... We do believe with the Ampera that we have still have the best utility everyday electric vehicle. Just this morning I read an article about a competitor car, which is supposed to do 160km. It was tested in 40 degrees and travelled just 75km... the battery technology is limited. We think with the Ampera we still have a great car. That’s why we reduced the price... we’re really into it.” Some suggested that the real reason Opel lowered the price was because of sales figures falling short of expectations. In 2012, Opel sold 6,600 Amperas. In 2013 that fell to 3,184 units, and in 2014, only 332 units have been sold. A few months ago, Neumann said that there was no real market for a pure EV, and it will be interesting to see whether or not Opel does go down this route. Sales of EVs have been on the rise, so perhaps Opel is beginning to take note. Global EV registrations doubled in 2013, according to the International Council on Clean Transportation. Neumann told Automotive World, “In the Group we have the technology for pure, smaller EVs. We have decided not to do this yet for Opel because there is simply no market for it. It’s very small, and we want to stay with the Ampera for the while. The big question is how we achieve our 95g goal in 2020, and our strategy is to reach as much as possible of that. There will be a mix of EVs in there, but as much as possible will be with traditional combustion engines, plus a very efficient powertrain.” Rachael Hogg

Goodbye Opel Ampera, hello new Opel EV

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