GM Europe To Sell New Ampera Model For EUR42,900

General Motors Co.'s Opel and Vauxhall brands will sell the extended-range Ampera electric car for EUR42,900 in Europe from the fourth quarter of next year, the auto maker said Thursday.

In a statement, Opel said the Ampera can drive up to 80 kilometers on a purely electric basis and the battery takes three hours to recharge on a standard 230 volt electric plug.

Customers can place orders online from Thursday, the company said.

The Ampera is the twin model of GM's Chevrolet Volt, which is due to be launched in the U.S later this year for a price of $41,000. The Volt's closest rival, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.'s (7201.TO) all-electric Leaf, starts at $33,000.

The Volt will initially launch as a low-volume specialty car. GM expects to sell a small number this year and around 10,000 in 2011, but it has vowed to eventually make the Chevy a high-tech car for the masses.

The Volt will be produced in Detroit at GM's Hamtramck facility. GM Europe's chief, Nick Reilly, has indicated in the past that the second-generation Ampera could be built in Europe as well.

-By Christoph Rauwald, Dow Jones Newswires; +49 69 29 725 512; christoph.rauwald@dowjones.com

(Sharon Terlep in Detroit contributed to this article.)

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