Not content with the
new Meriva making its debut at the
Geneva motor show, Vauxhall will unveil a new eco-concept car at the same time.
Lips are being kept well and truly sealed inside fortress Vauxhall, but
Car Enthusiast is told that the concept will showcase many of the company's ideas of how its future models will look and be engineered.
Alternative power sources are being looked at by Vauxhall, including hybrid and all-electric propulsion. However, Vauxhall has also said that the concept proves environmentally friendly cars do not have to be small or compromised just to meet economy and emissions demands.
The concept will be unveiled alongside the Vauxhall Ampera electric car, which is due to go into production in late 2011 and be on sale in the UK 2012. Powered by electricity, the Ampera has a small combustion engine that works as a generator to charge up the batteries rather than turn the car's wheels.
Also on Vauxhall's Geneva stand will be the revised Corsa. A new ecoFLEX model will be on display that offers 20bhp more than the outgoing 75bhp model yet returns 76.3mpg average economy and 98g/km emissions.
Alisdair Suttie - 11 Feb 2010