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 the Flextreme for a high-res gallery

We all got an early look at the Opel Flextreme after the images leaked onto the web the other night. In case you missed it, the Flextreme is Opel's interpretation of the E-Flex architecture that debuted last January in Detroit. Unlike the low-slung, almost coupe-like sedan shape of the Chevy Volt, the Opel features a similarly sleek mono-box shape. The more utilitarian wagon/hatch body style has always been popular in the European market where smaller more efficient cars dominate.

When General Motors gave us the first glimpse of E-Flex just before the Detroit Show, they emphasized the flexibility of the power-train architecture. As a system that is designed to be primarily electrically driven, the AC motor and battery packs are common across all variants. But as we move into a future where world-wide energy demands are increasing and petroleum gets more expensive, locally-soursed fuels will become the norm.

Full details of the Flextreme after the jump.

[Source: General Motors]