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Opel's own ad shows Ampera-e beating Opels in drag race

The Opel Ampera-e isn't expected to set any world records on a quarter-mile drag strip. But when it comes to crossing a major boulevard, though, the European version of the Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle will more than hold its own, potentially scaring inattentive pedestrians everywhere. According to a 35-second video posted by General Motors' Opel division, at least. Opel set up the Ampera-e against four other small-and-sporty vehicles, including racing versions of the Opel Adam and Opel Astra as well as stock versions of the Opel Insignia and Corsa (what, you expected a Corvette to be in there?). With the EV's off-the-line torque as a selling point, Opel showed the Ampera-e beating the other vehicles in a 30-meter (100-foot) drag race. Of course, the video also shows the EV getting passed by some of the others soon after, but the point was made. Opel doubled down by adding the tagline "Fun to Drive" at the end of the video. While Opel hasn't revealed the single-charge range of the Ampera-e, it should be roughly the same as the Chevrolet Bolt, which will be about 200 miles. In addition, the Ampera-e, like the Bolt in the US, will get 200 horsepower from its electric motor, and will be able to go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than seven seconds. The Ampera-e will debut at the 2016 Paris Motor Show later this month. General Motors said in February that Europe would get the Ampera-e by next year. Opel had previously used the Ampera name with the Euro version of the Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in. Related Video: News Source: Opel/YouTube via Green Car Reports Green Chevrolet GM Opel Electric opel ampera-e ampera-e

GM to restore legendary Corvette damaged in sinkhole accident

Car lover's hearts' sank when they saw images of bent and destroyed classic Corvettes at the bottom of a sinkhole last February after the floor of the National Corvette Museum gave way. General Motors announced Wednesday it would restore the one millionth Corvette ever produced to its former glory. The 1992 convertible was heavily damaged when a 40-foot deep sinkhole opened beneath a bevy of rare cars at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Since then, GM has been slowly restoring the classic cars, though five of the eight that caught in the sinkhole were determined to be too damaged to repair. This November, the 2009 Corvette ZR1 Blue Devil was the first car to be returned in mint condition to the Museum, according to Autoblog. It suffered significant damage but was still drivable after being pulled out of the debris. The one millionth Corvette is still in bad shape. The automaker is estimating six months worth of work to restore the car, which sustained paint scratches, rear-suspension damage and a mangled front fender. Related Gallery Consumer Reports Most Loved Cars 2014 Chevrolet GM Automotive History corvette famous cars sinkhole corvette museum

Nissan Leaf ends 2013 with best sales month ever, but can't catch Chevy Volt

Nissan and Chevrolet both ended 2013 with solid sales figures for their plug-in vehicles, the first two that were released (all the way back at the end of 2010) from major automakers. As has been the story for most of 2013, December sales for the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt were roughly the same. When we left the year-to-date running tally at the end of November, the Volt was at 20,702, while the Leaf was at 20,080. As you can tell from the image above (if you've been noticing the trend in these EV sales monthly flash-reports), the Leaf outsold the Volt, but was it enough to put the Nissan on top for the year? In 2013, Nissan sold 22,610 Leafs, more than twice as many as in 2012. Almost. The Leaf made a valiant attempt, and did have its best month ever with 2,529 units sold. That means that for 2013, Nissan moved a total of 22,610 Leafs, more than twice as many as in 2012 (that year, Nissan sold only 9,819 Leafs in the US) and actually more than 2012 and 2011 Leaf sales combined (which was 19,493). Nissan continues to see the effects of its price drop and expanded sales areas, with Georgia rapidly becoming a Leaf hotbed. Nissan's Paige Presley said that Atlanta was once again the Leaf's number one market and that, "sales are expanding deeper into Georgia markets such as Macon and Columbus." The Volt saw a boost upwards from a November slump and sold 2,392 units in December. That puts the plug-in hybrid's annual total at 23,094, just down from the 23,461 sold in 2012. For all of 2013, though, the Volt outsold the Leaf by 484 vehicles. In a competition like this, we'll count that as a win for both sides. We will our more detailed monthly green car sales report, which covers more of the fuel efficient vehicles on the market, up soon. News Source: GM, Nissan Green Chevrolet Nissan Electric Hybrid PHEV ev sales hybrid sales