Next Ampera to spawn new variants

The next incarnation of the Vauxhall/Opel Ampera range-extender will depart even further from sister car, the Chevrolet Volt, and may underpin a breed a new variants.

The current Ampera will go on sale by Winter 2011 and is a revised version of the Chevrolet Volt. Nick Reilly, Chairman of GM Europe, said that the second generation of the Ampera is due until 2015 at the earliest and will allow the firm to adapt the Ampera further.

“The Ampera will be much more different from the Volt,” he said. “That could extend to more bodystyles, even different cars.” We expect an MPV to join the range, mirroring the 2010 Chevrolet Volt MPV5 concept.

Reilly added that he's a “fan of electrification” and the range-extending powerstation would be “an option” on regular models like the Astra and Insignia.

“My personal preference is for adapting the technology into vehicles like that instead of having a stand-alone sub-brand,” he noted.