Geneva 2010: Opel Flextreme GT/E Concept

Opel will unveil its Flextreme GT/E concept car next month at the 80th Geneva Motor Show. The car features the same extended-range drivetrain as Chevrolet Volt and Opel Ampera. The idea is to illustrate how extended-range electric vehicle (E-REV) technology can be plugged into larger vehicles.

The Flextreme GT/E has a projected drag co-efficient of just 0.22, which helps it reach a top speed over 200 km/h.

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Magna buys Opel from GM

The suspense is finally over – GM is selling Opel to Magna. But the political factor has resulted in a rider. It has asked for governmental help and also support from the labor unions to help in the restructuring exercise. The automaker wants that the four Opel plants in Germany, which employ almost half of its 55,000-strong European work force, should be kept open.

Negotiations with the IG Metall union are expected to take time and be tough. At the same time, The German government has not specified as to the amount it will commit to the deal though it had earlier given figures of between €4.5 billion, or $6.5 billion, in loan guarantees.

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GM will not sell Opel to the Chinese

Talks between GM and Beijing Automotive Industry Holding (BAIC) have come to a standstill as the two are unable to reach an agreement on the negotiations regarding intellectual property rights issues. BAIC has now lost the race to acquire GM’s German unit Adam Opel GmbH, and GM a negotiating stance.

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China and Russia fighting over Vauxhall

Magna which has made a serious offer for GM’s Vauxhall backed by Russia’s Sberbank has a competitor in Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation (BAIC) of China. So there are technically two countries bidding for the iconic GM, which is an American representative – though it is GM Europe they are bidding for.

China’s bid is for €650 million for UK’s Vauxhall and Germany’s Opel, both from the GM stable. Even though GM had earlier rejected Fiat’s bid by the RHJ group, the group has now made a revised offer which is more to GM’s liking, thus forcing itself back into the race.

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GM bankruptcy procedure to begin tomorrow

With the deadline almost on its head it looks like a bankruptcy announcement by GM is on the cards shortly. GM had made an offer to its bondholders to trade in the bonds they were holding worth $27.2 billion in unsecured debt for a 10 percent stake in the restructured company, but they did not get an adequate response.

Though GM needed at least 90 percent of the bondholders to agree to their proposal and accept it, the value of the bonds turned in was “substantially less than the amount required by GM to satisfy the debt reduction requirement” as required by the U.S. Treasury. Had they received the requisite number of bonds, the company would have been able to qualify for more loans.

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GM’s troubles in Europe continue

Besieged from all sides, G.M. has failed to achieve a breakthrough in talks regarding its European unit, too. German and American negotiators held a marathon five hour meeting which included video conferencing, but were still unable to come to a conclusion on a bridge loan which G.M. needs for its European operations.

The Germans are understandably hesitant because they don’t want to put up money when they are not sure that G.M.’s European assets will be protected from its bankruptcy proceedings in the U.S. “We don’t have the assurances we need to approve a bridge loan,” said Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, the German economy minister. They are also put off by the fact that G.M. has asked for $418 million more than the agreed upon €1.5 billion from Berlin.

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The new Opel Astra

At the Frankfurt Motor Show the new Opel Astra 2010 will be unveiled. The car has many new features including a front camera system which is able to recognize roadside signage and lane departure warning system.

The car features Advanced Forward Lighting bi-xenon headlights and Opel’s FlexRide system which allows the driver to pick between three driving settings — standard, Sport and Tour. Plus the customer will be able to select the engine from a range of diesel and gasoline variants. Loe edasi »

First official images and details about the Insignia OPC/VXR

GM has unveiled first details about the Opel Insignia OPC , that in UK will be sold as Vauxhall Insignia VXR. Power comes from a turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 engine that packs 325 horsepower.

0-62 mph(0-100 km/) comes in 6 seconds and the top speed is electronically limited at 155 mph (250 km/h).

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Spy shots: Opel Insignia Sports Tourer OPC

At first the car pictured on the right looks like a regular Insignia Sports Tourer. On closer inspection you can see twin exhausts, Brembo brakes and OPC badges on front of the doors.

Production model will get different bumpers which are inspired from the Opel GTC Concept coupé that was previewed at the 2007 Geneva motor show.

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Opel Insignia wins prestigious “red dot” design award

Opel Insignia has already been named European Car of the Year 2009.

Now it has been recognized once again by an international expert jury for its outstanding design, winning the prestigious “red dot” award for product design.

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2010 Opel Meriva spotted in the snowy Sweden (rendering added)

Opel is giving its final touch to the next-generation Meriva. These new spy photos taken in Sweden reveal us more front lights and part of the rear lights.

Side view with a lower rear line looks very similar to the all-new Opel Insignia.

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2011 Opel Ampera unveiled in Geneva

Yesterday GM released a first Opel Ampera teaser. Today GM unveiled the Ampera in Geneva and released more details and images about this extended-range electric car.

For journeys up to 60 km Ampera runs on electricity stored in the 16-kWh, lithium-ion battery, and emits zero CO2.

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2011 Opel Ampera spied on a photo shoot

This here is the Opel Ampera aka European Chevy Volt. Two cars are almost identical which should not come as a surprise.

Ampera styling has some features from the new Opel Inignia sedan and Flextreme concept. The car spotted here has no camouflage at all and was actually on an official photo shoot, so we are very likely going to see official images with the same background very soon.

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Opel Ampera electric car will debut at Geneva Motor Show

It’s official! Chevrolet Volt will be called Opel Ampera in Europe( In the UK the car will be sold as Vauxhall Ampera). This five-door, four seat extended-range electric car will make its world debut at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show.

“With the Ampera, Opel will be the first European automobile manufacturer to provide customers several hundred kilometers of non-stop electric driving,” said Alain Visser, GM Europe Chief Marketing Officer.

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Opel Antara now available with a front-wheel drive

To make the Antara more attractive, Opel has cut the price on it 2,000 euros. This cheaper version loses the four-wheel drive and comes with a front-wheel drive.

Opel claims that Antara is for active families who seek space and high seating and prefer the look of a crossover. We just can’t agree with Opel. Why would anyone with an active lifestyle get a crossover that does not have a four wheel drive? If you want a smaller price tag and front-wheel drive with more space get a minivan.

Continue to read: Opel Antara now available with a front-wheel drive