So, is my Chevy Bolt really an Opel product?

bobo · Jun 5, 2019

I am a new owner. My first EV ever. Lots to learn.
Just curious. Did I buy a Chevy product or an Opel?
Thanks.

Bolt2019 · Jun 5, 2019

I think I saw somewhere that a Korean design team designed the car. It has Korean batteries. But it's made in the USofA. I think Opel is a GM-owned European brand that they put the Bolt under. They call it the Ampera-E or something like that.
iirc

theothertom · Jun 6, 2019

GM has sold "equivalent" cars in Europe for many years under the Opel brand. This is nothing new.

bobo · Jun 7, 2019

The only reason I bring up the topic of Opel, is reliability and workmanship.
I can remember when Opel was imported to the USA. Was really a "poor" car.

cwerdna · Jun 9, 2019

Bolt2019 said:
think Opel is a GM-owned European brand that they put the Bolt under. They call it the Ampera-E or something like that.

Yes except the first part is WAS. Yep on what theothertom said.

GM sold Opel (aka Vauxhall in the UK) to PSA Groupe.
https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/general-motors/2017/08/01/gm-sale-european-division-psa-groupe/528166001/
https://money.cnn.com/2018/07/24/investing/opel-vauxhall-gm-psa/index.html

https://www.groupe-psa.com/en/brands-and-services/ has their brands.

bobo said:
The only reason I bring up the topic of Opel, is reliability and workmanship.
I can remember when Opel was imported to the USA. Was really a "poor" car.

FWIW, Opel was HQed in Germany. At one point, the Opel Astra was imported to the US and sold as the Saturn Astra... a rather goofy car.

The Buick Cascada is another Opel car: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Cascada.

AFAIK, Opel Ampera-E was/is built at Orion Assembly, just like Bolt: https://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/company_info/facilities/assembly/orion.html (even though it's not listed).

https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1123270_corsa-e-electric-hatchback-is-part-of-opels-first-move-independent-of-gm is the replacement for Bolt over at Opel, so they no longer have to buy them from an outside company, GM.

Bolt2019 · Jun 10, 2019

Thanks for all that clarification cwerdna. I DID use several hedging words (as I usually do). But I sure like me some o' them facts.
So there you go bobo...Chevy it is.

cwerdna · Jul 13, 2019

I just finished https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULQr96t1vmU. It's 10.5 minutes long. Was interesting. Didn't realize that Opel/Vauxhall had been bleeding cash so badly.