GM will reportedly discontinue the Opel Ampera when Chevrolet introduces the next-generation Volt due to poor sales figures across Europe.
Despite receiving a significant price cut last year, the Opel Ampera still hasn’t managed to improve its sales figures.
Opel sold 5,200 Amperas in 2012 when it was named the European Car Of The Year together with its Chevrolet Volt sibling. In 2013, sales sank 40 percent to 3,184 cars compared to 2012. In 2014, only 332 Opel Amperas were sold. For comparison, in the U.S., Chevy sold over 23,000 Volts last year and June was the Volt’s biggest sales month of 2014, with 1,777 units sold.
In Germany, Opel’s home market. Ampera had sales of just 46 units in the first six months of the year, while according to data from the German motor transport authority, Ferrari’s F12 model sold nearly twice in the same period – 83 cars.
The Chevrolet Volt and Opel Ampera differ only in styling in an attempt to make the range-extended plug-in hybrid more appealing to European buyers.
When the Chevrolet Volt is given a ground-up refresh for the U.S. 2016 model year, the Ampera will be dropped, two insiders familiar with Opel’s future plans told Automotive News.
