GM Europe's New Boss, Nick Reilly, Says Opel Mini Car a Top Priority, Will Be Disappointed if Germany Doesn't Give Financial Support

Speaking to reporters during a conference call on Saturday, GM's newly appointed President of its European operations, Nick Reilly, made several statements concerning the present and future of Opel / Vauxhall. Among other things, Reilly, who is also in charged for Chevrolet Europe, said that a new mini car is a top priority for Opel / Vauxhall and that the Ampera hybrid (Opel's version of the Chevy Volt) will be manufactured at some point in Europe.

In regards to the financial aid for Opel / Vauxhall, Reilly said that while GM has sufficient money in the U.S, it cannot spend a significant amount on its European operations for a number of reasons including that much of that money will be used for Delphi and completing restructuring in the States, and of course, to pay back the government loans.

Reilly added that GM expects to get financial support from most European governments for Opel / Vauxhall and that the company would be "disappointed" if Germany is the only country which does not participate.

According to reports, GM's restructuring plan includes 8,500 job cuts from its 50,000-strong European workforce in order to return to profitability by 2012.

*Pictured above: Opel Trixx Concept

Statements by Nick Reilly, President, GM Europe:

On his President, GM Europe title:

"The reason for the GME President title is because we want to be consistent. We have three Presidents in our organization going forward: one for North America, one International (AP & LAAM) and one for Europe. We will not have a return to the former GME organization. There will be two organizations in Europe: Opel/Vauxhall and Chevrolet Europe. I will be accountable for both, run Opel/Vauxhall while Wayne Brannon will continue to be in charge of Chevrolet Europe." (As background, Wayne Brannon reported to Nick Reilly in the past when he was GMIO President and will continue to do that now as President GM Europe.)

On the question of an Opel/Vauxhall CEO:

"I will be CEO, so we have called off the search. I will also be responsible for other GM business in Europe."

On the Opel / Vauxhall management team:

"I will be announcing a new management team next week, but I won't comment on any individuals at the moment."

On the Opel/Vauxhall product portfolio:

I see gaps which need to be filled. Opel needs a mini; that will be our top priority. I want to clarify that we will also need to continue with light commercial vehicles, that is a reasonable share of our business.

On alternative powertrain technology:

"We can take advantage of global technology and look at introducing hybrids. Ampera will be manufactured in Europe. Initially, the car will be imported from the US, but long-term, we are looking for a local source. Ellesmere Port is one of the candidates, but there are others. Also, we will look at battery technology. Electric vehicles will increase the focus on that."

On Friday's meeting in Brussels:

"It was a positive meeting. We need €3.3 billion in total of which €1 billion is for restructuring. The rest primarily will be for investments in new products. We expect to lose money in 2010, so we will need some support to get through next year. I am not sure when a decision will be made, but I've been getting positive responses. The aid will be in line with national and EU rules. No date on when to expect a decision."

On the need for government support:

"There is a belief out there that GM has sufficient money in the U.S. that it can spend in Europe. That is not the case. Much of that money will be needed for Delphi and completing restructuring in the US. We also have some of that money in an escrow account for disasters in the US and we can't touch that.

Third, the US market remains depressed and we have to have some money to get us through 2011. We also need to to the US government. Finally the money is US taxpayer money. We can use some of it outside of the US but not all."

On government support from Germany:

"We've prepared an application for the German government. They were willing to support Magna deal, so we expect some support for our plan. Financial aid is no different from other car companies in the US or Japan or other European countries.

I am optimistic they will come forth with aid … but regardless, the German government decision will not lead to more or fewer lay-offs in Germany. The expectation is that we will get financial support from most European governments. We would be disappointed if Germany is the only country which does not participate."

On the Antwerp facility:

"Until we finalize our discussions, we won't make any comments. We will and are looking for alternatives. But bear in mind, we must reduce capacity and we must reduce structural costs. We had plans and an agreement in place, but some plans can't come true in view of the changing business environment. You see in the U.S. how many plants had to be shut down – and there were probably product plans for each one of them. To be sustainable, we must reduce capacity."

On timing:

"We hope to make an announcement in the next 2-3 weeks. Anticipate before the end of the year or possibly beginning of next year."

On alleged export restrictions for Opel:

"Let me be quite clear. Opel has no restrictions for exporting. It already has a small but loyal business in China. It attempted to sell in India, but didn't build the necessary reputation, was losing money and pulled out. Same with Japan.

The key is, if a good brand can make money what would stop us from exporting? We will look at opportunities market by market. If it requires building the brand, that is very difficult to do. We will not enter into an export program just to add volume. We must be able to make money; otherwise we won't do it."

Chevy Volt's Granddaddy: GM's 1969 Gasoline-Electric Hybrid Kadett Stir-Lec 1

More often than not, people tend o believe that technologies like hybrid or all electric drivetrains are a recent discovery, something which is entirely wrong. Among the many examples throughout automotive history is GM's own Stir-Lec 1 concept. Seen here in an advertisement from 1969, the Opel Kadett based study used a hybrid drivetrain that worked in a similar way to the one found in the modern Chevrolet Volt. In particular, the Stir-Lec 1 was equipped with a small capacity Stirling engine mounted at the rear that recharged a pack of 14 conventional lead acid batteries which in turn powered the electric motor that drove the rear wheels.

General Motors claimed in the print advert that the experimental hybrid vehicle was capable of reaching a top speed of 55mph or about 88km/h.

And while there's no doubt that modern hybrid gasoline-electric drivetrains are far more advance and reliable enough for everyday use than their experimental predecessors, one cannot but wonder what today's world would have been like if GM or any other automaker for that matter, had focused on the development of these type of alternative powertrains.

Scan via: Bangshift - Thanks for tip Alex!

GM Future Car Design Competition Winner Announced

The results are in for the Royal College of Art (RCA) Vehicle Design program's competition for the Opel - Vauxhall of the year 2049 that was co-sponsored by General Motors Europe. The winning concept is the Opel Darwin 2049 created by Augustin Barbot from France. The 25-year-old's proposal, which was selected among 18 other concept models, was designed to hover about 100mm above the ground by electro-magnetic power or in the sea like a submarine.

According to Barbot, the energy to move the lightweight vehicle is produced by three turbines, two at the front and one at the back.

The young designer's prize will be to spend three months working at General Motors Europe Design Center in Rüsselsheim, Germany. Furthermore, the automaker also decided to recognize the efforts of two other students, Hyunjoon Park (25) of South Korea and Miika Heikkinen (26) of Finland, who will both join Barbot to Russelsheim to meet and work with the GM design team.

"The standard of overall work was excellent; everything we saw was very forward thinking and anticipated both practical and emotional needs of mobility. Augustin did a good job interpreting the brief from an Opel/Vauxhall perspective, building on our commitment to electric vehicles and anticipating tomorrow's mobility needs," said GME's advance design chief Lo.

"It's clear from the new Insignia that GM Europe is going through a design revolution and judging from the sales figures, good design is now on top of everyone's agenda," said RCA Vehicle design director Harrow.

Opel Ampera: European Chevy Volt Scooped Undisguised!

julino billym's spy photographers have done it again, this time by capturing the Opel Ampera study totally undisguised at one of the firm's German centers. Due to be revealed for the first time in public at next month's Geneva Motor Show, the Ampera is nothing more, nothing less, than a Chevy Volt with a new fascia and a subtly redesigned rear-end. Opel's version of GM's extended-range electric vehicle is scheduled to go on sale in Europe during the second half of 2011, or about a year after the Volt hits Chevy's North American outlets.

The most visible styling changes on the Ampera concern the EV's front-end design which is inspired from Opel's latest concept cars like the GTC. It features a set of Civic-like headlamps with vertical air ducts, a thinner grille and a new bumper.

At the rear-end, aside from the new bumper, Opel's design team restyled the tail lamps and added a horizontal chrome bar while they also painted the lower part of the fifth door in the same color as the rest of the car -as opposed to the Volt's blacked out panel.

We don't have any pictures of the Ampera's interior, but judging from exterior, we're guessing that changes will most likely be minimal.

According to General Motors, for trips up to 60 km or around 40 miles, the Ampera will run solely on lithium-ion battery power charged through a standard 230v outlet while for longer distances, the car will continue to drive on electricity that is generated by a small internal combustion engine.

Opel Ampera EV Sketches, and yes, it's a rebadged Chevy Volt

General Motors may have wanted to keep the Opel Ampera EV concept under wraps until the opening of the Geneva Motor Show in early March, but that isn't going to happen as official sketches of the electric car that were filed with the European Union trademark office have found their way into the web. To the surprise of few, the sketches reveal that the Ampera is nothing more than a rebadged Chevy Volt.

The only visible cosmetic differences between the two cars seem to concern the Ampera's restyled front and rear bumper along with the new set of alloy wheels - and that's about it.

If all goes well, the Ampera will be launched across the European continent as an Opel and Vauxhall about a year after its U.S. introduction in late 2010. The Ampera will utilize the same electric propulsion technology as the Volt which allows the car to run exclusively on lithium-ion battery power charged via a standard 230v outlet for up to 60 km (37 miles). For longer distances, the five-door hatch will drive on electricity that is generated by a small internal combustion engine.

Via: es.Autoblog.com

High-Performance Opel Insignia OPC with 320HP and AWD Scooped at Official Event

British car magazine EVO has posted a grainy photograph of what appears to be a prototype model of the forthcoming high-performance Insignia OPC, or as it will called in the UK, the Vauxhall Insignia VXR. We're not entirely sure, but from what we can tell, the picture was taken at some sort of internal gathering of top Opel executives. Aside from the new front bumper that is apparently inspired from the Opel GTC Concept coupé that was previewed at the 2007 Geneva motor show, the OPC prototype also seems to feature wider wheel arches than the standard Insignia.

Details of what is hiding under the Insignia OPC's hood have not been disclosed, but is said that the Opel's performance saloon will get a modified version of the firm's twin-turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 producing around 320HP matched with the latest Haldex AWD differential.

It is expected -but not yet confirmed- that Opel will unveil a prototype version of the car at the Geneva Motorshow in March with the production model following at the Frankfurt show in September.

Source: EVO , Via: Autoblog.it

Opel Ampera EV: European Chevy Volt to be Unveiled in Geneva Motor Show

As many anticipated, General Motors announced that it will take the wraps off an extended-range electric concept car at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show (March 5-15). The five-door, four-seat Opel Ampera will feature GM's electric propulsion technology, called Voltec, that allows the car to run exclusively on lithium-ion battery power charged via a standard 230v outlet for up to 60 km (37 miles). For longer distances, the car will continue to drive on electricity that is generated by a small internal combustion engine.

"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.

While Opel did not make any references to the Chevy Volt, judging by the mechanical and styling similarities between the two cars as seen in this teaser sketch, and taking into consideration a previous statement from GM Europe's president, Carl Peter Forster, who openly admitted that Opel will reveal an electric vehicle derived directly from the Volt, we think that it wouldn't be too farfetched to support that the two cars are if not entirely, heavily related.