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Chevy Volt to fight Ampera in UK
26 June 2009
A right-hand-drive version of the Chevrolet Volt is set to go head-to-head with the Vauxhall Ampera when both go on sale in the UK in 2012.
It was previously though that the Chevrolet Volt would be rebadged as the Opel/Vauxhall Ampera in Europe, but the sale of Vauxhall/Opel has changed that.
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A source at GM told Autocar that, in order to differentiate the two, the Volt will have a different specification to the Ampera but the same powertrain, with the American-badged car likely to be cheaper and less well equipped.
The cars will also be visually different, the Vauxhall/Opel sporting a more-European appearance.
Both will cost around £25,000 in the UK, although different options are being considered such as leasing the cars or selling the cars and leasing the battery packs.
The first pre-production Volt has had its initial test on US roads on US roads.
The Ampera/Volt combines an electric motor and a petrol engine, but the front wheels are always powered electrically; the petrol engine only serves to power a generator to create electricity.
Using a battery only, the Ampera has a 40-mile range, which extends to 300 miles if you start burning petrol.
Ollie Stallwood
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