Jeff Kowalsky/Bloomberg NewsOpel Ampera, on the production line in Hamtramck, Mich., in May.
The Opel Ampera, Europe’s version of the Chevrolet Volt, will sit in showrooms pending resolution by American investigators of a battery fire question related to crash tests of the Volt, according to Andrew Marshall, director of product development communications at Opel.
“We are in the position that we can wait a little while before we deliver customer vehicles while we come up with a solution to the battery situation,” Mr. Marshall said Tuesday in a telephone interview.
Several hundred Amperas built in Hamtramck, Mich., along with the Volt began arriving late last month at dealerships in France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands. Hundreds more were in transit, Mr. Marshall said, adding that the manufacturer hoped to sell up to 10,000 Amperas next year. He also said that prospective customers were on a waiting list. “People are impatient to get in them,” he said. “There have been no refunds requested, as far as I know.”
Earlier this month, General Motors offered to buy back Volts from American owners if they were concerned about the fire risk. Mr. Marshall said that such action was premature in the case of the Ampera, but the automaker would “come to some solution” with concerned customers who had ordered the cars.
“We’re aware of what G.M. is doing in the States, but we are not aware of anyone coming to us about safety issues,” he said. “But if they do and they are insistent about them, we would talk to them about a resolution.”
The decision to await results by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was made last week by Karl-Friedrich Stracke, the chief executive of Opel/Vauxhall, Mr. Marshall said. N.H.T.S.A. began an investigation after a parked Volt caught fire three weeks after a crash test.
“We’re waiting for a signal from General Motors, but it’s all obviously connected with the analyses going on at N.H.T.S.A.,” Mr. Marshall said.
Opel/Vauxhall plans to have three separate product introductions for the Ampera. The first ostensibly would be happening now but for the recent delivery delay. Pricing for the plug-in hybrid begins at 42,900 euros, or roughly $56,000. Although the Volt and Ampera have different styling, both are propelled by electricity stored in a lithium-ion battery pack. A gasoline-fired engine-generator kicks in to power the electric motors after the battery pack has been depleted.
“We know our engineers, here but predominantly in the U.S., are working very hard,” said an Opel official who requested anonymity, saying that Mr. Marshall was more qualified to comment on the process.
“First, we want to make sure we do everything that is in the interest of the customer, but we are indeed very hopeful,” he added.
Article source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=456edec54583648f85dd7eaceda4a107
Speak Your Mind
You must be logged in to post a comment.