Opel to build two new electric vehicles in Germany.
Friday, May 9th, 2008 in Advanced Auto NEWS, Opel
Last week, GM’s European chief Carl Peter Forster confirmed that €9 billion ($14 billion) would be invested in Opel between now and 2012 for the development of a score of new models and powertrains. In fact, Opel will be launching up to 20 new models over the next five years and according to GM CEO Rick Wagoner a number of these will be electric vehicles based on the carmaker’s new E-Flex architecture.
E-Flex is GM’s new plug-in hybrid technology, which will debut in production trim in the upcoming Chevrolet Volt. The design uses an electric motor to power the vehicle and relies on an internal combustion engine, be it petrol, diesel, or natural gas, to top up an array of lithium-ion batteries powering the electric motor when they are running low.
GM previewed a new concept with E-Flex technology in Europe at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show in the form of the Flextreme MPV and according to Wagoner there will be a range of new E-Flex models for the Opel brand. Speaking with Automotive News Europe, Wagoner said the Opel electric vehicles will be built in Germany and use GM’s Global Compact architecture that will form the basis of the next generation Astra. One of the cars will be a production version of the Flextreme, while the second will be larger and have more interior space.
