General Motors is going to launch the European version of its Chevy Bolt in 2017 as Ampera-e. It is expected to be priced at $30,000.
The announcement was made at the CAR Symposium in Bochum, Germany by General Motors CEO Mary Barra.
The company says that the electric vehicle will be a 5-seater with 5-door hatchback, will have a longer range than most electric cars and it will be priced affordably.
The car is being built with the expertise of building the original Ampera back in 2011.
According the company, Ampera-e has been designed to keep the battery pack being mounted flat, under the vehicle floor. This enables better interior space for seating five passengers.
Barra said: "GM and Opel have always been convinced that electric cars will play a defining role in future mobility."
"The game-changing technology of the Ampera-e is a significant step toward realizing that vision.
"Our new battery electric car is also another boost for Opel's reputation for making innovative engineering widely accessible."
The company believes that urbanization and environment protection trends will require new kinds of mobility and alternative propulsion systems.
Opel group CEO Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann said: "Electric vehicles have the potential to make a significant contribution to climate protection and emissions reduction."
"The new Opel Ampera-e will open the road to electric mobility by breaking down the barriers of high price and short driving range."
Opel says that Ampera-e is equipped with a personal connectivity and service assistant named Opel OnStar and it also has other connectivity and infotainment technologies which can integrate with smartphones and other electronic devices.
