Opel Plans New SUV And More Electric Vehicles

Meet the new Opel, same as the old Opel but different. General Motors has decided to rid itself of its European operations, but the man at the helm of Opel will remain the same and he has some ideas about what the future will look like.

Opel CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann, told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport last week the brand will continue to design and develop its own cars. He has been the CEO of Opel since 2013 and will continue in that position. From this point forward, Opel products will be based on chassis supplied by PSA Group, which is buying Opel from GM. Making the transition to new platforms will take several years, Neumann says.

While Opel was still under GM’s wing, it was considering changing over to a lineup featuring only cars with plugs. That’s not surprising. The European Union has carbon emissions rules in place that will be difficult if not impossible to meet using only internal combustion engines.

That may have been part of GM’s reasoning when it decided to sell off Opel. Apparently it just didn’t want to play the EU’s game. Much easier to concentrate on building high profit gasoline powered Suburbans and Silverados.

Despite its Volt and Bolt offerings, GM remains a company that is deeply committed to the four stroke philosophy that has sustained the automotive business for over 100 years. It is neatly summarized by the T shirts Harley Davidson rides like to wear — Suck, Squeeze, Bang, Blow. Perhaps that will be the epitaph on GM’s grave stone.

When the German Bundesrat voted last fall to ban internal combustion engines by 2030, GM apparently decided it was time to pull up stakes and head for the hills.

There are reports that Opel has 7 new or updated models in the works, including an all new SUV that will become the new face of the brand. And why not? Europeans are almost as crazy for SUVs as Americans are (and most of the rest of the world).

There might be light at the end of the tunnel for Opel yet. It seems a version of the Ampera-e — Opel’s version of the Chevy Bolt — is still a possibility. Being unshackled from GM’s corporate culture may turn out to be a good thing in the end. GM destroyed Saab by forcing it to sell rebadged Subarus and Trail Blazers. Subaru thrived when it was cut loose by The General.

Perhaps the same will happen at Opel. Americans are largely unfamiliar with Peugeots and Citroens, but the two companies make some very tasty automobiles. There’s even a possibility that Opel may lead a re-entry into the American market after a long absence. Who knows? Maybe one day PSA may buy GM the next time it flirts with bankruptcy?

Source: Motor Trend

General Motors Confirms Sale Of Opel And Vauxhall To PSA For $2.3 Billion

Three weeks ago, rumors started circulating on the internet that General Motors was considering the sale of its Opel and Vauxhall operations in Europe to PSA, the holding group that owns Peugeot and Citroen. Today, those rumors were confirmed. PSA is buying Opel and Vauxhall for $2.3 billion.

The deal will make PSA the second largest automaker by volume in Europe behind Volkswagen. “We want to create a European automotive champion,” said PSA Groupe Chairman Carlos Tavares. “We will totally unleash the potential of the Opel and Vauxhall brands.”

Opel has been part of General Motors for 90 years. Letting it go is a bittersweet moment for The General. “This was a difficult decision for General Motors,” CEO Mary Barra said. “But we are unified in our belief that it is the right one.” GM has been losing money on its European operations for the past two decades.

GM will now limit its focus to North America and China. “For GM, this represents another major step in the ongoing work that is driving our improved performance and accelerating our momentum,” Barra says. “We are reshaping our company and delivering consistent, record results for our owners through disciplined capital allocation to our higher-return investments in our core automotive business and in new technologies that are enabling us to lead the future of personal mobility.

PSA’s Tavares was quick to assure Opel and Vauxhall workers that their jobs are not at risk. “We respect all that Opel/Vauxhall’s talented people have achieved as well as the company’s fine brands and strong heritage. We intend to manage PSA and Opel/Vauxhall capitalizing on their respective brand identities.”

PSA will continue to supply some models to Buick in the US and Holden in Australia. The Buick Encore small crossover vehicle and Buick Regal sedan are both based on Opel engineering. There is no word on how the agreement will affect sales of the Chevy Bolt in Europe, where it is known as the Opel Ampera-E. Reservations for the Ampera-E have been particularly strong in Norway.

The deal means that GM now has only 8 total brands in the global marketplace. Three of them are exclusive to China. PSA and GM will continue to cooperate on the development of battery electric and fuel cell vehicles. What no one is talking about is whether the deal could open a path for PSA to resume sales in America, a market it abandoned more than 20 years ago.

Source: Autoblog

Strong Demand In Norway For Ampera-E Moves Delivery Schedule Forward

Demand for the Chevy Bolt — known as the Opel Ampera-E in Europe — has exceeded all expectations in Norway. That country is a hotbed of EV activity, thanks to a package of strong government incentives including tax exemptions, free public charging, preferential parking in congested urban areas, and free tolls on some bridges, tunnels, and ferries. Norway has a higher percentage of electric and plug-in hybrid cars on the road than any other country (by far). Right now, sales of EVs account for more than 25% of all new car purchases in the country.

Ever since the Chevy Bolt was announced, interest from Norwegian customers has been high. Stein Pettersen, public relations manager for Opel in Norway, tells local news source Side 3 that several thousand orders for the car have been taken. Although electric cars are popular in the country, most of them have a useful range less than half that offered by the Ampera-E. That extra range is a big selling point. So is the suggested retail price of 299,900 Kroner — equivalent to $36,340. (The Ampera-E is only available in Europe in the fully loaded Premium trim configuration.)

Two option packages are available — the Comfort Package with perforated leather seats, Bose audio, and heated rear seats; and a Driver Assistance Package that adds sign recognition, blind spot warning, and a rear-view camera. A premium paint option is an additional $300.

The good news for Norwegian customers is that the strong demand for the car has convinced General Motors to begin delivering cars to customers in Norway in June. That is fully 3 months before the Chevy Bolt will be available in all 50 US states. The Opel website contains an interesting graphic about how many miles of range can be added for each 30 minutes of charging using various chargers.

Speaking of range, Opel lists the official range for the Ampera-E as 520 kilometers — about 320 miles. But that is using the wildly optimistic New European Driving Cycle test protocol. When the more realistic Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) standard is used, the range comes out to be 232 miles, which is right in line with the EPA rating of 238 miles. No matter how you slice it, it’s a lot more range than any electric car available in the Norwegian market except for the Tesla Model S and Model X, both of which cost twice as much as the Ampera-E or more. (Teslascenti will argue that both are twice the car the Ampera-E is.)

The Opel website goes on to say, “We estimated a combined WLTP range larger than 380 km based on development tests approximated to the speed profile defined in the WLTP driving cycle (shortened test procedure). The WLTP driving cycle is based on real driving profiles and is there the closer two real life than the legally binding New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). However, the range in your everyday use will vary. In practice, factors suchlike as road characteristics, weather conditions, driving style or additional load Influence the range.”

Range calculations vary considerably around the world. The NEDC is useless when it comes to telling drivers what they can expect when they actually drive a car in the real world. The Japanese standard is even worse and the standard China uses is also highly inaccurate. Many car manufacturers would be delighted if the nations of the world could agree on common standards for measuring mileage, fuel economy, and emissions. Some industry officials estimate the cost of cars is 10 to 15 percent higher than it needs to be just because manufacturers must spend so much time and money complying with differing standards. Adopting the WLTP would go a long way towards alleviating that situation.

Source: Side 3

Opel launching Euro cousin of Chevy Bolt EV next year: Ampera-e

Opel will introduce a five-door, five-seat battery electric vehicle next year in Europe. Cousin to the US Chevy Bolt, the new Ampera-e will be “affordably priced”, Opel said.

Opel Ampera-e Click to enlarge.

The compact proportions of the Ampera-e are driven by the battery pack being mounted flat, under the vehicle floor. The efficient packaging of the battery also enables a roomy interior providing comfortable seating for five passengers and trunk space comparable with that of a car in the compact class.

The Ampera-e will also offer the personal connectivity and service assistant, Opel OnStar, and connectivity and infotainment technologies that will integrate smartphones and other electronic devices seamlessly into the vehicle.