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The Vauxhall Ampera passed an important
milestone last Friday, when the first pre-production car rolled off the
line at GM’s Pre-Production Operations' assembly line in Warren,
Michigan.
More validation Amperas will be built
in coming months, and will be used by engineers in Europe and the United
States for testing the production-intent design. The focus will be on
developing the final vehicle software and controls, fine tuning the
vehicles' driving characteristics, and performing 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 Ampera. “There’s still work to be done, but
being able to drive an Ampera off our pre-production line is a great
accomplishment for the teams here and in Europe.”
The Ampera extended-range electric
vehicle delivers up to 40 miles of pure electric driving before an
engine-generator kicks in to sustain the battery charge and seamlessly
extends the range to more than 300 miles. The battery can be charged by
plugging the vehicle's on-board charge system into a standard household
outlet. It is scheduled to be in UK showrooms by early 2012
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