Opel Ampera to debut at Geneva Motor Show 2009

So what would they call the Chevrolet Volt – the revolutionary plug-in hybrid that might save GM in the US? The Opel Ampera.

Opel Ampera teaser photo

A few teaser photos of the car have been released by GM. The Ampera sedan is an extended range electric vehicle and will debut in Geneva Motor Show in March 2009.

The Opel Ampera will run on Voltec, the same technology used in Chevrolet Volt. This technology will allow the car to run up to a distance of 60 km simply utilizing the power produced by the Lithium-ion battery pack. For longer runs, the Ampera, just like the Chevy Volt, car would continue to run on electric charge produced by the compact internal combustion engine. The Ampera battery can be charged using the standard 230V outlets.

“With the Ampera, Opel will be the first European automobile manufacturer to provide customers several hundred kilometers of non-stop electric driving,” said Alain Visser, GM Europe Chief Marketing Officer.

Like Chevrolet Volt, the Ampera is a five door hatchback, and it rides on the same Delta 2 global compact architecture. The production version of Ampera will be launched by late 2010 or early 2011 and will be marketed by the brand names Opel and Vauxhalls.

Discussing the similarities of the Ampera and Volt, Frank Weber, General Motors’ global vehicle line executive Chevy Volt and Opel Ampera said, “The Opel Ampera and Chevrolet Volt are production programs designed to meet the needs of thousands of customers, not a modified production vehicle for fleet or demo drives, the Opel Ampera and Chevrolet Volt will meet all safety standards for North America, Europe and Asia.” He added that the the Opel Ampera would offer distinctive styling, dynamic efficiency, versatility and affordability European customers have come to expect from Opel.

The Opel Ampera copies the styling features from Opel Insignia.

From the image displayed, it’s a bit more than just the propulsion systems that the Ampera and Volt share. Except for the front styling, the rest of the car is very much same as its North American counterpart. The more aggressive front end of the Ampera however draws on Opel’s ‘blade’ styling and manages to appear less conservative than the rather conventional looking Volt.

The Geneva Motor Show is sure to pull in a crwod who would like to see what the European version of the Volt is all about.

If both the cars were offered in the same markets, which would would you prefer to drive – the Opel Ampera or the Chevrolet Volt?