Second-generation Opel/Vauxhall Ampera to be cheaper, more radical

General Motors says it will pump out 10,000 Opel and Vauxhall Amperas for sale in Europe in 2012 and that Opel will get 6,000 Amperas, with the remaining 4,000 shipping to Vauxhall dealers in the UK. Additionally, Opel chief executive officer, Nick Reilly says that 7,000 of the 10,000 Amperas earmarked for Europe in 2012 have already been spoken for. That’s the official word.

Now, let’s turn to some rumors. Autocar says the second-generation Ampera will launch in 2015 with a base price that’s “significantly less” than the £33,995 ($55,514 U.S) Vauxhall will charge for the current Ampera. Furthermore, Autocar claims that Vauxhall’s next-gen plug-in hybrid will likely draw styling cues from the automaker’s Zafira Tourer Concept that made its world debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.

For the record, Reilly simply stated, “We hope that this first car will establish itself as a market leader and we’ll be able to capitalize on that with a cheaper, more expressively designed second generation model.” Autocar translated that to mean, “A second generation Vauxhall Ampera will go on sale in 2015, costing significantly less than the current model and featuring a more radical design.” So let’s make it clear, again, that this is nothing more than a rumor.