Europe will get an Opel E-Flex car before the Chevy Volt

The General wants Opel/Vauxhall to be seen as a technologically advanced brand in Europe. For that reason, GM will launch an Opel/Vauxhall version of the new 2011 Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid in 2011 in European markets. That model will be followed by the Chevrolet variant six months later.

“Opel will have a version of the Volt that will look more like an Opel. It will be a close sister to the Chevrolet Volt,” a GM source told Automotive News.

GM is trying to make Opel its high-volume brand in the European market and having its own E-Flex electric-car will help it give a competitive edge said the source. Opel has its own E-Flex architecture concept called the Flextreme. No word on whether that will be the basis for the Opel version of the Volt but we wouldn’t doubt it.

GM will kick off production of the Volt Detroit Hamtramck plant in late 2010.

 

Source: Automotive News Europe (Subscription Required)