Chevy Bolt Heads to Europe (Wearing an Opel Badge)
General Motors is very excited about its new, long-distance electric vehicle, the Chevrolet Bolt, revealed in all its production-model glory at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. At the time, GM promised that the Bolt would face a wide release. However, Chevrolet is very much viewed as an American company, which is probably one of the reasons why, in Europe, GM will be handing the Bolt, repackaged slightly, to its Germany-based subsidiary Opel, who will repackage and sell is as the Ampera-e, a named based on the brand’s name for its version of the Chevy Volt—the Ampera.
While announcing the Ampera-e, GM CEO Mary Barra said, “GM and Opel have always been convinced that electric cars will play a defining role in future mobility. The game-changing technology of the Ampera-e is a significant step toward realizing that vision. Our new battery electric car is also another boost for Opel’s reputation for making innovative engineering widely accessible.”
This is especially true right now, as Opel is in the process of what Autocar calls a “model offensive,” where Opel attempts to release as many as 29 new vehicles by 2020.
The Ampera-e/Bolt is slated to make its appearance in Europe in 2017.
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