Was, Ihr Volt Ampera? Vergessen Es!
End of the year, Europeans can delight in the Made in America Opel Ampera, which is a rebadged and slightly reskinned (see picture) Volt. But don’t rush to your friendly Opel dealer to put in your pre-order: The Ampera is already sold out.
According to Automobilwoche [sub], Opel already has more than 5,000 pre-orders for the imported from Detroit Hamtramck plug-in-hybrid. There won’t be more than 5,000 Amperas coming to the Old Country this year. Better luck next year!
Money apparently is no object. The Ampera lists at €42,900 ($ 62,200 – usual disclaimers apply). Subsidies? What subsidies? Most European governments don’t even subsidize pure EVs. Hybrids? “Warum?”
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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People here want low running costs - at all costs! Spend thousands on a new car to save a few hundred quid on annual road tax - I'm in! To be fair the plug-in element of this car is new and exciting and probably for that reason alone they'll sell them all. Then make more. Then sell all those... easily. The technical possibility nee dream of never having to take this car to a petrol station will guarantee its early sales. Here, anyway.
"Vergesst es!", oder? (That will end my proofreading day.)
I think of Alice Cooper when I see that car....
I always thought the Cruize was a somewhat ugly Prius copy, but this takes the cake! Somewhere out there a Stormtroopers looking for his helmet.