Opel rolls out first pre-production Ampera in the US

Opel has rolled out the first pre-production Ampera hybrid at General Motors’ Warren plant in Michigan on April 23rd. The pre-production Ampera will not be sold but it will be used for further testing before the final production version is revealed sometime next year. General Motors also said that it will produce more pre-production Amperas.

The Ampera is heavily based on the Chevrolet Volt which means it utilizes an electric motor which draws out energy from batteries. The system also has a small displacement internal combustion engine that is used as an energy generator to help recharge the batteries when required. There is also a plug-in recharging system as well as brake energy regeneration.

It can deliver 60 kilometers of range with electric power alone and with the range extender total range is figured at about 500 kilometers. Andrew Farah, Vehicle Chief Engineer for the vehicle said, “We’re right on target for producing the Ampera for European markets later next year. There’s still work to be done, but being able to drive an Opel Ampera off our pre-production line is a great accomplishment for the teams here and in Europe.”

Continue reading to view 3 high-res images of the pre-production Ampera.

[zenphotopress number=999 album=1087]

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Harvinder Sidhu

Harvinder Singh Sidhu thinks there's nothing better than Formula 1, not even sliced bread. Having written about cars since 2006, he plunged head first into the industry out of a passion for all things four-wheeled and everything in between. The F1 enthusiast has been following the sport since 1999 and has been keeping up with it since. In between races he keeps himself busy as the host of the Driven motoring show and as our version of the Joker.

 

Comments

  • linear_system on Apr 27, 2010 at 10:25 am

    it looks like honda city from front.anyway nice design.

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  • Opel cars are doing in europe. Too bad we won’t see them here…

    And to those who wanna say they copied Proton EMAS system, GM announced it way before EMAS was brought to plan. SO don’t even think about it!

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    • malaysia memang boleh on Apr 27, 2010 at 4:10 pm

      Who really care about GM,they nearly go bankrupt,wait is it nearly or already bankrupt.haha

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  • Peter on Apr 27, 2010 at 10:31 am

    OPEL! Almost forgot that you actually exist!

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    • Oris_TT2 on Apr 27, 2010 at 12:23 pm

      yah.been a while

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      • Bismark on Apr 27, 2010 at 5:46 pm

        Best-Selling Car Manufacturers in Germany (2009).
        VW again topped the list followed by Opel and Ford.
        Both outsold Mercedes and BMW-Mini, the second and third best-selling brands in 2008

        The list of the top 10 best-selling car marques in Germany in 2009 according to statistics released by the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA) is:
        Car Brand ……………. Cars Sold in 2009 … % Market Share … % Change from 2008

        Volkswagen (VW) .… 805,262 ………………… 21.2 … 30.9
        Opel ……………………… 338,603 ………………… 8.9 … 31.1
        Ford ………………………. 290,620 ………………… 7.6 … 33.7
        Mercedes ……………… 282,527 ………………… 7.4 … -13.9
        BMW / Mini .…………… 258,041 …………………. 6.8 … -9.4
        Audi ………………………. 234,861 ………………… 6.2 … -6.6
        Renault / Dacia …….. 225,965 ………………… 5.9 … 53.5
        Skoda …………………… 190,717 ………………… 5.0 … 57.3
        Fiat ……………………….. 163,953 ………………… 4.3 …86.1
        Toyota / Lexus ………. 138,498 ………………… 3.6 … 43.1

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        • Tiadaid on Apr 28, 2010 at 9:51 am

          Alah, is BMW & Mercedes same class as Opel? I mean, are the prices for Opel the same? I’m not a BMW fanboy, but I’m just saying, it’ll be like saying Perodua’s better than BMW since they sell more.

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          • hawkin on Apr 29, 2010 at 3:56 am

            Go Germany ask any Deutsch, most recommended car brand is Audi.
            Never is BMW!

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  • eisyam on Apr 27, 2010 at 10:44 am

    wah…the front look like forte……………but it look fierce in black….very nice

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  • sayapdewa on Apr 27, 2010 at 10:51 am

    nice body finishes but the rims look not fitted to the body…too lousy…

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  • t6amaki on Apr 27, 2010 at 12:41 pm

    that what we call design. Pxxxxx pick some nuances from it and refurbish from old fashion.

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  • Squawk on Apr 27, 2010 at 12:44 pm

    Euro Civic?

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  • jolly_idiot on Apr 27, 2010 at 1:06 pm

    look like Accord Euro R

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  • Gooddaymate! on Apr 27, 2010 at 2:26 pm

    the front look like honda accord euro 2007

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  • Gajen on Apr 27, 2010 at 3:50 pm

    looks like the old accord euro…copy

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  • civic-accord euro-hybrid

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  • g-spot on Apr 27, 2010 at 4:06 pm

    copy….muka semua bukan main bangga lagi…sedangkan nampak sgt copy honda…

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  • turbonatics on Apr 27, 2010 at 4:30 pm

    city+civic=ampera!
    brilliant idiots

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  • looks like honda but way better. disappointed of malaysia without this brand of car. rating of this brand is high outside.

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  • endre on Apr 27, 2010 at 6:31 pm

    isn’t the front Forte look a like?

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  • kia…city design again..

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  • think on Apr 27, 2010 at 10:09 pm

    y does all the good cars are only to be read in malaysia,and not to be driven..think..

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    • Squawk on Apr 28, 2010 at 1:39 pm

      Because when it comes to non luxury cars, this country only has place for T & H. And the 2 Ps & 1 N, if you can’t afford T & H.

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