I had a chance to drive one of these around for a while when I was in London last year and liked it a great deal. But even with all the legal benefits the British government has granted these, they are still not selling and now look to be a vehicle of the past....
European buyers may soon have one fewer plug-in vehicle to choose from, with news that the Opel Ampera--European cousin to the Chevrolet Volt--could be dropped due to slow sales.
The Ampera arrived to much critical acclaim, just as the Volt did in the U.S.
While expensive--it hit the market at
just shy of $60,000 back in 2012--critics praised the relaxed drive and its elimination of some of the electric car's traditional drawbacks, such as range anxiety.
It even took Europe's Car of the Year title back in 2012, along with its Chevy Volt cousin--the second plug-in vehicle to do so, after the Nissan Leaf took the 2011 crown.
But as
Automotive News Europe reports (via
Autoblog Green), sales have been poor. In 2012, Opel (and UK arm Vauxhall) sold just over 6,600 cars. In 2013, that dropped to 3,184. So far in 2014, just 332 cars have found homes.
The news is another blow for Volt and Ampera fans in Europe, after GM's decision in late 2013 that the Chevrolet brand itself would be pulled out of Europe from 2016, so resources could be injected into its struggling Opel and Vauxhall brands.
That decision means the Volt too is no longer available--and plug-in car buyers will have to look elsewhere.
Opel Ampera Euro Chevy Volt Axed Over Slow Sales 
