Vauxhall has begun taking orders for its new hybrid saloon car, the Ampera E-REV.
Releasing full details of pricing and specs for the first time, this week, the carmaker said its two top range
Ampera models – the
Positiv and
Electron – were available to order from this week, with its entry level model available to order from May.
Pricing
The Ampera, which breaks new ground with its
hybrid technology, starts at £29,995, including the Government’s £5,000
Plug-in Car Grant. This is £1000 more than was originally quoted for the
car and significantly more than its US cousin the Chevrolet Volt, which is priced at £20, 500 in the US. The middle-range Positiv, which comes with leather interior, heated front seats and front and rear parking sensors as standard, has been priced at £32,250, with the grant. The top of the range Electron costs £33,995, inclusive of grant, and, like the Positiv, can be ordered immediately. The first Amperas will arrive in showrooms on May 1, Vauxhall said.
Range extender technology
The car’s main attraction is its range extender technology, which means that it can drive a 310 miles after it has used up its full electric power – a range of between 25 and 50 miles. Its range extender means it continually uses its 111 kilowatt electric engine, emitting an average of 27 grammes per kilometre of CO2, while keeping fuel costs down to a minimum.
"We’re breaking completely fresh ground with the Ampera," said Duncan Aldred, Vauxhall’s chairman and managing director. "The technology is obviously unique in a production car, but it’s the level of personalised customer support we’re offering that will be just as important to owners."
Customer support
Backed by a Lifetime Warranty and a eight-year 100,000 mile battery warranty, Vauxhall said the majority of Ampera owners would have the convenience of a specialist dealer within a one-hour drive of their home.
In addition, Vauxhall said it was introducing a new level of personalised care for customers, including – for those prepared to pay for it – 'MyAmpera’, a service that gives owners their own personal Ampera agent, based at Vauxhall’s head office.
Green car sales
According to reports GM, the parent company of the Chevrolet and Vauxhall, aims to sell 60,000 Amperas and Volts over the next year. But these figures could be significantly less. Early sales of the Chevrolet have been lower than expected, while latest figures from the UK, show just 910 cars, eligible for the Plug-in Car Grant, were registered as of September 30 2011.
But there are hopes sales will pick up this year in Britain with the launch of a number of new electric and hybrid cars, including Toyota’s Prius Plug-in Hybrid, and the all-electric Renault Fluence.
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