General Motors ensured it was not to be outdone as it revealed the 2017 Opel Ampera-e at the 2016 Paris Motor Show, and it went through some serious one-upmanship to make sure of it.
Automotive News reports GM and Opel were quietly battling Renault ahead of the 2016 Paris Motor Show. If you are unaware, Renault revealed its all-electric Zoe with a 250-mile range. To ensure Opel’s thunder wasn’t stolen, it quickly updated press release information to include the Ampera-e would now be capable of not 250 miles of range, but 310 miles.
310 miles is significantly more than the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, but it’s capable of that lofty number due to much easier testing of EVs in the European testing cycle. When the Ampera-e had been unveiled in Paris, GM went in and changed all the figures in the pre-show press releases.
But, Opel will not be first to market. Renault launched the Zoe EV directly following the Paris Motor Show with its 250-mile range. Opel won’t be far out, though, as it gears up for an early 2017 launch following the Bolt EV in the U.S.
Comment
Open can eat up Renault easly in all of Europe except France. Poor French!