Opel Forced to Halt New Orders for the Ampera-e as Demand Outpaces Supply
This little electric car is a big deal in Europe
In recent months, the popularity of the Chevrolet Bolt EV has been on a rapid rise across the United States. Each sales month adds evidence that Chevy is catching up to competitors like Tesla when it comes to the electric vehicle race.
While the U.S. might currently be in the process of adopting electric vehicles, countries like Norway have, in large part, already done so. The popularity for electric vehicles is so expansive in the European market that Opel recently had to cease new orders for its Ampera-e vehicle.
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The Ampera-e is the Opel equivalent of the Chevy Bolt, demonstrating one of the remaining ties between GM and the Opel brand after it was sold to the PSA Groupe. Built and assembled right alongside the Bolt in the U.S., the Ampera-e is then shipped off and delivered to countries in Europe.
Unfortunately, the demand for Ampera-e models has surpassed the vehicle’s production supply. As such, deliveries for the vehicle will be delayed until 2019 at the earliest.
Europe may have gone a little too far head over heels for the Ampera-e
Stein Pettersen, information manager for Opel’s Norway operations, reports that less than 1,000 Ampera-e units have been delivered to the Scandinavian country. Meanwhile, another 4,000 remain on order.
There are a number of reasons why Norway in particular is catching electric fever. Chief among those reasons are benefits that the Norwegian government supplies to electric vehicle drivers, including free charging, fewer taxes, and even access to the country’s bus lanes.
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Opel has ensured customers that if they have already ordered an Ampera-e vehicle, the delivery date for said vehicle is not set to change. However, if you are just getting ready to order an electric Opel of your own, then you might very well have quite a while to wait.
News Source: GM Authority
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