Opel has received more than 7,000 orders for Volt cousin Ampera

Opel has so far received some 7,000 orders for the Ampera electric vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt’s European cousin. Opel said that the numbers surpassed its most optimistic expectations for this point in time.

Enno Fuchs, Opel’s e-mobility launch director, said that the Ampera sales target of 10,000 units for 2012 is “well within reach.” Customer deliveries, which began in February, are going according to plan, according to the company.

In the US, General Motors is suspending production of the Volt for five weeks starting 19 March, due to higher inventory than demand. GM is also suspending production of the Ampera, according to the report in the Detroit News.

The Ampera and the Volt were just voted “Car of the Year 2012” by a panel of judges in Geneva, made up of 59 leading automotive journalists from 23 European nations. The Opel Ampera / Chevrolet Volt tallied 330 points against VW Up (281) and Ford Focus (256).