Opel Abandons Ampera Leaving Volt And ELR To Fend For Themselves - But For How Long?

Translation to Plain English: Open couldn't find a way to be profitable in that market segment, and so they left. The Volt has always struggled for acceptance, while the Caddy is proving to be a product virtually nobody wants, right out of the gate.

How long can it last? Well, we've seen GM throw insane amounts of money at money-losing products, go bankrupt, and the suck a huge pile of money out of tax-payers's pockets, give Execs massive bonuses, and then repeat the same process all over again... so draw your own conclusions.

Massive bonuses? While they were "Government Motors" executive compensation was capped at levels below what folks in like jobs were earning in similar positions. That is as it should be when you get bailed out. How about some proof of your allegation?

Vette71: You must have missed all the press about the public being up in arms when GM received their Mountain Of Money(TM) in the form of a bailout, and GM Execs got huge bonuses in short order. Perhaps their SALARIES were capped (I don't know), but their bonuses aren't part of their salaries, and they certainly did take their hefty bonuses out the bailout receipts. I guess GM Execs figured they deserved to be rewarded for saving all those union jobs, and for securing such huge funding from tax-payers' pockets.

This is a series of blunders. The Ampera takes the ugly Volt and makes it uglier. Europe is also fixated on diesel rather than on hybrids, so of course they market a hybrid for Opel. Opel is a money pit, so GM sends them a vehicle that loses money even before it's sold.

Front looks better than the Volt, rear looks hideous.

Overpriced is overpriced and people are not willing to overpay for something when they could save the money or just buy a diesel that gets great mileage and still has performance.

Until GM cuts the price and puts in a diesel engine in this thing, it will never sell in Europe.