GM to launch Opel Ampera plug-in hybrid in 2011

The world has been waiting for the biggest news in the auto industry, and that news came today at the 79th Geneva Motor Show, General Motors Corporation (NYSE:GM) will launch the Opel Ampera in 2011. This electric vehicle comes with a 500km extended range.

The Opel Ampera will not only be offered in left-hand drive, but also right-hand drive for the UK market under the Vauxhall brand. The new vehicle incorporates the ground-breaking Voltec electric propulsion system, which GM hopes will help to change the way that automakers think about the environment and the impact that the combustion engine has.

The Opel Ampera comes with five-doors and four-seats, and has design features borrowed from a number of other concept cars. The wheels on the car are powered at all times by electric, which can run up to 60km on the electricity stored in its 16-kWh, lithium-ion battery. When that energy has been used it will then use the electricity from an engine-generator, which will run for at least 500km.

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