Last month, Opel CEO, Karl-Thomas Neumann told the world that the first units of the long-awaited Opel Ampera-e will be delivered to Norwegian customers in May.
I am happy to confirm that we will start delivering the #AMPERAe to customers in Norway in May already. #GIMS2017 #GimsSwiss pic.twitter.com/9RX7xMGlRL
— Karl-Thomas Neumann (@KT_Neumann) March 8, 2017
Today, the first 10 units were registered in Jessheim, Norway. As a curiosity, all of them are blue.
Opel Ampera-e NEDC range
Now that Opel/Vauxhall is joining the PSA Group, there is an uncertainty on how many Opel Ampera-e units will GM produce for Europe. Nevertheless, it’s obvious that this electric car is much better suited for European tastes, than it is for North Americans. With low sales figures for the Chevrolet Bolt EV in the USA, it’s clear that Chevrolet prefers to sell the plug-in hybrid Volt, which is available nationwide in that country.
While very different electric cars, both Chevrolet Bolt EV/Opel Ampera-e and the Hyundai IONIQ Electric share the same problem. They are production constrained and their makers don’t realize the gems they have in their hands. In both cases, GM and Hyundai prefer to sell hybrids as their eco-friendly cars. Maybe the arrival of the Tesla Model 3 and the new generation Nissan Leaf later this year is what GM and Hyundai need to wake up and increase production.
What do you think? Will the Opel Ampera-e be more successful in Europe than the Chevrolet Bolt EV will be in the USA? When will GM significantly increase production?
