First pre-production Opel Ampera leaves the assembly line

The first pre-production Opel Ampera has rolled out of the assembly line. The milestone was signaled last Friday at GM’s Pre-Production Operations in Warren, Michigan. The vehicle is a pre-production version of Model Year 2012 Ampera.

More pre-production Amperas will be produced in the next months. They won’t be sold at dealerships but will be put up of for testing, in order to validate production intent design as well as develop the final vehicle software and controls. Some of these vehicles will also be used in safety and structural integrity testing.

“We’re right on target for producing the Ampera for European markets later next year,” said Andrew Farah, Vehicle Chief Engineer for the Ampera “There’s still work to be done, but being able to drive an Opel Ampera off our pre-production line is a great accomplishment for the teams here and in Europe.”

The Opel Ampera is an extended-range electric vehicle that is able to drive up to 60 kilometers on pure electric energy. It is fitted with an engine-generator that is able to sustain the battery charge and further extend the range to more than 500 kilometers. Scheduled to go on sale at the end of 2011 the Ampera’s battery can be charged by plugging the vehicle's on-board charge system into a standard household outlet.