On the one hand, you've got the Vauxhall brand and two highly productive factories in the form of Ellesmere Port and Luton. And yet, on the other, it's a market that hasn't really taken a strong liking to Cadillac or Chevrolet, with the latter being driven out of the UK not so long ago. With such a complicated relationship, it's perhaps not surprising to hear that GM's been essentially teasing the Brits with a car they won't be able to buy.
The provocative car in question is the Opel Ampera-e - the all-electric hatchback that is, for all intents and purposes, the European version of the Chevrolet Bolt EV. Even though General Motors acknowledges the United Kingdom is a prime territory for all-electric cars, it's gone on the record to say it won't ever engineer a right-hand drive version of the current car for British buyers. However, as a result of the UK market's importance to electric-only cars, GM has confirmed it'll be undertaking UK trials of the Ampera-e throughout next spring, with Vauxhall demonstrating the Opel to prospective clients.
Though we understand why General Motors has decided to conduct client demos with LHD Opels instead of engineering a RHD version, it is a bit of a shame. By all accounts so far, the Chevrolet Bolt EV is a cracking little car, and the increasing demand for electric cars in the UK could have allowed Vauxhall to at least get a substantial foothold in this sector of the market before it's swarming with other offerings. Hopefully it won't be too long before the Brits get hold of an Ampera-e that has Vauxhall's griffin crests in place of Opel's horizontal lightning bolt badges.
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