opel

Hans Demant, GM Europe Vice President, Engineering and Managing Director of Opel, presents the new Corsa Hybrid Concept at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. Powered by the next-generation GM Hybrid system and diesel engine technology, the Corsa Hybrid concept car requires just 3,75 liters of diesel per 100 km and emits only 99 grams of CO2 per kilometer.

Opel is planning to present a new hybrid concept car at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show: the Opel Corsa Hybrid. The Opel Corsa Hybrid will be powered by a 1.3 CDTI ecoFLEX engine with 119 g CO2 per kilometer.

General Motors presents the third variant of its electric vehicle architecture E-Flex, the Opel Flextreme. Its energy source is a battery that powers the electric motor. Another energy source on board – such as a hydrogen fuel-cell or combustion engine – provides more power to increase operating range. In the case of the Flextreme, this is a 1.3-liter CDTI diesel engine. Electric propulsion and a combustion engine are used in a manner fundamentally different from that of conventional hybrid propulsion vehicles.

Opel, a division of General Motors (GM), has unveiled Flextreme, an eco-friendly concept car designed to emit less than 40 grams per kilometer of carbon dioxide. The electric vehicle, which debuted at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt, Germany, is built upon E-Flex, GM's electric vehicle architecture, and uses a lithium-ion battery that can run up to 55 kilometers (km) at a time. Flextreme also incorporates versatile storage space via its rear-hinged back doors, transparent roof, tailgate doors and luggage compartment located beneath the vehicle's floor.

As concerns over global warming continue to increase, General Motors Europe unveils a new environmental strategy aimed at decreasing and eventually eliminating CO2 emissions. Under its short-term plan, GM’s Opel/Vauxhall will introduce an ecoFLEX variant that emits lower CO2 levels in each model line. This new system is scheduled to premiere in September during the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show.

GM demonstrated the combustion process, known formally as Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition or HCCI, for the first time in two driveable concept vehicles, a 2007 Saturn Aura and Opel Vectra. When combined with the enabling advanced technologies, direct injection, electric cam phasing, variable valve lift and cylinder pressure sensing, HCCI provides up to 15 percent fuel savings, while meeting future emissions standards.

Opel presents a range of especially economical and low-emission vehicles at the IAA in Frankfurt (September 13 – 23, 2007). The current models showcase how automotive technology will look in the near future: the Corsa Hybrid concept car uses innovative technology with starter generator and stop/start automatic transmission which contributes to an average consumption of about 3,75 liters of diesel per 100 km (99 g CO2/km). The Vectra Flexpower with a 2.0-liter turbo engine designed for operation with bioethanol/gasoline mix also makes its debut at the IAA.

In essence, the environmental strategy of General Motors Europe is to reduce CO2 emissions in the short term and introduce new propulsion technologies in the long term. The goal is to offer customers vehicles that can operate on many different energy sources. “The multi-tiered approach includes accelerating the development of electrically powered vehicles, stepping up efforts to replace fossil fuels and increasing the efficiency of gasoline and diesel engines,” explains Carl-Peter Forster, GME President.