Now that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has pledged some £90 million for the development of clean vehicles in the U.K., General Motors is seeing plenty to like about the European market for its E-Flex vehicles. The automaker has already reversed its stance on building the electric cars in America and shipping them overseas, with the Ellesmere Port plant now being considered for Opel and Vauxhall EVs. Just how many electric cars could GM sell in Europe? According to Bob Lutz, plenty. In fact, GM believes it could move as many as 30,000 units in the first year of availability, with the worldwide figure of one million by 2020.

While those sales targets are pretty ambitious, so are the goals of Gordon Brown. If the Prime Minister has things his way, all new cars sold in Britain by 2020 will be electric. Oh, and built in the U.K. (editor's note: FAT CHANCE!), which could become a small step closer to reality if GM decides to go with the Ellesmere Port factory.


[Source: Times Online]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Opel Flextreme

Despite Carl-Peter Forster's recent assertion that Euro Volts would be built in America and shipped overseas, GM's European leader is now claiming that Europe may get its own plant. This change of heart could have something to do with Gordon Brown's recent announcement that the British government would offer £90m in funding over the next five years for alternative car projects? Why, yes, it could. Forster indicates that government assistance would play a large role in determining whether a European plant for Vauxhaull and Opel E-Flex vehicles is made and where it could be. GM execs also indicate that the surcharge for the Volt in Europe could be around £20,000 over the similarly-sized Astra.

Prime Minister Brown also laid out plans for electric car charging stations across the U.K. which could be integrated into supermarkets and retail stores. Brown considers our times as "a once-in-a-generation opportunity" for the world to push technology forward in a move to reduce the use of ever more expensive oil.


[Source: The Financial Times]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Opel Flextreme

The internal debate over whether the upcoming Volt will be badged as a Chevrolet or an Opel across the pond has been decided. The first Euro-bound EV's from the General will be Opels, though we are not sure how much in common the vehicle will share with the Flextreme concept. Carl-Peter Forster, president of GM Europe, indicates that a Vauxhall version is also in the works (this would be nothing more than a right hand drive variant for the British market) and that all three of the vehicles will be quite similar in design. A gasoline range-extending powerplant will see shared duty in the trio as well, though we would expect a diesel option in Europe at least at some point.

For the forseeable future, all three E-Flex variants will be built at the same factory in Detroit, and Europeans should expect to see the Opel in 2012. Of course, the extended-range electric car will carry a price premium, with a €10,000 bump over a comparable gas engined vehicle currently being thrown around. We hope that the Volt and its clones will prove popular enough to see that cost premium dwindle somewhat as the cost of batteries drops and allow the General to make a few bucks in the process.


[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Opel Flextreme

A while back, there were rumblings from Opel that the European brand from GM was considering entering the micro car segment currently occupied by vehicles like the smart fortwo and the upcoming Toyota iQ. That rumored vehicle was to be powered by a repurposed motorcycle engine, much like what has been said concerning the budding Toyota model. Now, though, it sounds as if those plans have been scrapped as Opel now sees the largest growth markets coming from normal entry-level vehicles and über-luxury vehicles, classes which bookend the auto industry.

According to GM of Europe's leader, Carl-Peter Forster, Opel is still hard at work on its hybrid model, which was previewed by the Flextreme concept. GM's head in America, Rick Wagoner, echoed that comment but added that there could be more electric vehicles coming from Opel than just the Flextreme. All of these electric vehicles would be based on the E-Flex drivetrain which will underpin future GM vehicles like the Flextreme and Chevy Volt.


[Source: Just-Auto - sub. req'd]

Since Saturn has essentially become the U.S. arm of Opel, and all the new models (aside from the Outlook crossover) are essentially re-badged Opels, the big question is, "what next?" With sales of larger trucks and SUVs in complete collapse and carmakers scrambling to shift production to smaller cars, Opel has a model that might be a perfect fit, the Agila. The Agila is developed and built jointly with Suzuki and is sold as the Splash by the Japanese brand. The Agila is powered by three and four cylinder engines of 1.0L and 1.2L displacements.

It's unknown if the Agila is even close to being able to pass U.S. safety standards. However, GM will begin producing engines in the U.S. next year that fall into that size range so there will be U.S.-certified engines that would fit. The Agila could potentially make a very interesting competitor to the Smart ForTwo, VW up! and Toyota iQ. The Agila is built in Poland which may make it an affordable option for the U.S. market. The 1.2L version is rated at a combined 42.8mpg (U.S.) with the 1.0L version scores 47mpg (U.S.).

[Source: BurlappCars.com]

When GM launched Chevy Volt concept last year, officials explained why they badged the car as a Chevrolet. The Volt was intended to be a mass market car that would be affordably priced and widely available. Chevrolet is a global brand for GM and the company wanted to make it clear that the E-Flex technology would be available everywhere. Unfortunately, while the long-term plan is for E-Flex to be widely available and affordable, at launch it will be anything but. With Chevrolet being a budget priced brand in the rest of the world, selling the initial Volts as Chevys could make marketing problematic in the places like Europe.

GM wants to make the Opel brand a technology leader in Europe, but E-Flex is among the most technologically advanced systems GM has. Offering it in a Chevrolet first runs counter to the plan. GM faces a similar dilemma with the Corvette, which doesn't really fit in with the rest of the Chevy lineup. The Corvette is essentially sold as a stand-alone brand in the rest of the world without referencing Chevrolet. Mike Arcamone, vice president of GM Powertrain Europe, told Automotive News that Opel and Chevrolet would both offer E-Flex vehicles within months of launch, the Opel would likely launch first over there.

Although the Opel Flextreme concept that was shown at Frankfurt last September used a diesel engine for the range-extender, the early production Opels will only use the gas/E85 flex-fuel engine from the Volt. While the Euro-Volt will use the same styling as the American car, the Opel will apparently have a different body style, perhaps more like the Flextreme.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. req'd]

Click on the HCCI equipped Opel Vectra for a high-res gallery

There are rumors floating around the interwebs today regarding the Opel Insignia being the first official product from General Motors using its highly-efficient homegeneous charge compression ignition, or HCCI for short. We can't confirm these rumors at this point, as GM has made no official announcements at all regarding the future of its HCCI engines. We do, however, know that engineers in crisp white lab coats are currently hard at work perfecting the technology. Therefore, we'd expect their efforts to bear fruit sooner or later. Exactly what vehicle the HCCI engine will first appear in, though, remains a mystery.

While we're on the subject of the HCCI engine, why not go ahead and peruse our explanation of how the technology works. GM's FYI blog also has a bit of a primer on the technology that may be worth a look too. Because an HCCI engine can provide a fifteen percent boost in fuel economy to go along with reduced emissions, we're rather excited about the prospect of seeing this technology in production as soon as possible.

[Source: Motor Authority and Auto Express, thanks for the tip, gmcbob]

Until now, if you wanted to drive a large natural gas-powered vehicle, one option was the Opel Zafira which could haul you and your beloved ones around, albeit with only 96 HP from the 1.6-liter engine. Well, since there seems to always be a market for more power, Opel has adapted this engine to a turbo version, something that boosts power to 150 HP, (more here). This puts the Zafira in the same leage as the VW Passat Variant TSI EcoFuel. The Zafira Turbo CNG could be on sale in 2009. Opel is currently selling two CNG cars in Germany, the Meriva and the Opel Combi, at €23,640 and €17,737, respectively.

[Source: AutoNews]

If you check any European car ad, you will see in tiny letters at the bottom the car's consumption and CO₂ production figures. This information is a mandatory requirement in Spain. But, according to Ecologistas en Acción and the Unión de Consumidores de España (UCE), an environmental organization and a consumer union from Spain respectively, these figures are not accurate and could be misleading.

Spain taxes the purchase of cars depending on CO₂ production figures, therefore it's a consumer's right to know previously what these figures are. UCE found out that 11 automakers didn't have accurate information or their ads were plainly misleading, like saying a car is under 119 g/km when it's just one model and the ad focus on the sport version that produces more than 200 g/km. Also, these figures tend to be hidden with small print. They also accuse automakers of trivializing these figures because all cars pollute even when polluting less.

Don't think it's just one automaker: Hyundai, Nissan, Seat, Volkswagen, Peugeot, Honda, Citroën, Opel, Dacia and Mercedes-Benz were accused of these practices.

[Source: Ecologistas en Acción via Econoticias]

Following his speech to the Commonwealth Club a few days ago, GM CEO Rick Wagoner apparently told reporters that a second E-Flex platform vehicle was also under development at the company's Warren MI technical center alongside the Chevy Volt. This second ER-EV is destined for the Opel (and presumably Saturn) brand. Following the debut of the Volt in January 2007, GM has shown two other E-Flex concepts, the Opel/Saturn Flextreme and the Cadillac Provoq. The Provoq is expected to make the production transition in 2009 as a conventionally-powered crossover.

The Flextreme, however, carries some of the design language of the new Opel Insignia that was recently revealed. The significantly more aerodynamic Flextreme also carries the hatchback/wagon type body shape that is more popular in Europe. An Opel-badged model would likely have an appearance similar to the Flextreme but with more conventional style body openings and without the pair of Segways in the back. It's unknown at this point what type of range extender would be used with the Opel although the concept used a diesel.

So far we've only found one source for this report of a second E-Flex vehicle and we're still waiting to hear back from GM for any confirmation or comments on any of this. As soon as we here back we'll provide updates.

[Source: Green Car Congress]

Spain is a country with plenty of sun hours, and wasting the solar resource is really missing a good opportunity. So, after similar announcements from Seat and Nissan, and thanks in part to the Spanish Government's incentives for installing solar panels, GM has decided to install up to 320,000 m² (about 80 acres) of electricity-producing solar panels on the roof of its factory in Figueruelas, near Zaragoza, Spain. The agreement was announced by French company Veolia and represents an investment of about € 53 million. The Figueruelas factory currently mounts the Vauxall/Opel Corsa and Meriva models.

[Source: Econoticias]

Pininfarina Sintesi, the Th!nk Ox, the KTM X-Bow, the Audi R8 TDI Le Mans, the Toyota iQ, the Rinspeed sQuba, the John Cooper Works Mini (and Clubman), the Morgan LifeCar, Land Rover LRX in black, the Mercedes BlueEFFICIENCY C-Class and Vision GLK BlueTec hybrid, the Opel Meriva, the VW Sharan Bluemotion, the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics, the VW Passat EcoFuel, the Mila Alpin, the Saab 9-1X Biohybrid and the Hyundai i-mode.

You know these names and have read about what these vehicles are and what they promise. Now, you can kick back and spend some time getting better acquainted with how these vehicles look. The gallery for the Sintesi
is below. Check out over 75 more photos after the jump.

Click the Opel Meriva concept for a high res gallery

For several years GM's European operations have been offering a tiny van-like vehicle called the Meriva. The current Meriva is a pretty conventional looking tall wagon based of the B-car Corsa platform. It's now just about time for a refresh of the Meriva and Opel is showing a concept at the Geneva Motor show that is probably very close to what the next production version will look like. The look of the concept carries all the styling elements of recent Opel concepts including the scalloped side panels and the headlamp shape. One interesting design element of this concept is the rear hinged back doors. Many concepts feature so-called suicide doors because it makes it easier for viewers to the see the interior of the car when it's rotating on a show stand. When this happens though, they usually leave out the b-pillar making it totally impractical for production. In this case the b-pillar is present and the press-release even focuses on these FlexDoors. Based on this it seems likely that the new Meriva will actually feature this door design. The other big question is will we see this car in Saturn dealerships in a couple of years?


[Source: General Motors]

Click image to enlarge

One of the new concept vehicles that General Motors will debut at next month's Geneva Motor Show next month previews where GM might be headed with its Opel Meriva compact MPV. The current Meriva is a tall wagon based on Opel's B-car Corsa platform. Like the larger Zafira, the Meriva is a one-box shape and the new concept will follow that same path. The new concept picks up the design language introduced on last year's Opel GTC and Flextreme concepts (note that pronounced "hockey stick" line arcing down and back from the front fender). Perhaps as the United States' impending new CAFE regs take hold, GM will come around and start offering stylish, compact, family-oriented alternatives like the Meriva in Saturn showrooms, instead of relying on lesser variations of products already available from brand siblings like Chevy.

[Source: GM]

The current-generation Saturn Vue is also sold in Europe as the Opel Antara, and in the right hand drive UK market as the Vauxhall Antara. Since it's introduction in 2007, the Euro editions have been available with an Opel 1.9 turbodiesel engine. With the public debut of the two-mode hybrid Vue last week at the Detroit Auto Show the next bit of speculation revolves around a European edition and the possibility of a diesel hybrid. According to GM spokesman Brian Corbett there are no production plans for an Opel/Vauxhall hybrid Antara or a diesel hybrid. The two-mode system is quite expensive to manufacture at this point, and a diesel two-mode would probably be prohibitively expensive for its market segment. Add in the lesser popularity of hybrids in Europe and it will probably quite a few years before a diesel hybrid Antara shows up on European roads. A mild hybrid diesel with the second-generation belt alternator starter system using a lithium battery might be a different story though, not that GM is saying anything about that.

[Source: AutoExpress, General Motors]