Opel / Vauxhall Flextreme GT/E Revealed

The Vauxhall Flextreme GT/E Concept will be at Geneva

Vauxhall / Opel are taking the Flextreme GT/E Concept to Geneva, a re-bodied Insignia with Ampera powertrain.

We still haven’t got the Vauxhall / Opel Ampera (Chevy Volt) on the road yet, but GM in Europe – in the shape of Vauxhall and Opel – are taking a new concept car to Geneva based on the system developed for the Ampera.

The Opel/Vauxhall Flextreme GT/E is a sleek and impressive looking five door coupe which is described by GM as a new kind of GT car. It uses the Ampera’s range extender setup with a 158bhp electric motor providing the drive through the front wheels. Couple to the motor is a 1.4 litre 70bhp engine whose sole function is to provide charge to the batteries.

Vauxhall/Opel says the Flextreme GT/E has an electric-only range of around 35 miles but a full range – with the engine charging the batteries – of 300 miles. They reckon this will produce average mpg of 175mpg with CO2 emissions at 40g/km (but only at the point of use).

The Flextreme GT/E seems to be a re-bodies Insignia but is far more aerodynamic – it has a drag coefficient of just 0.22 – thanks in part to the movable aerodynamic blades near the tail lights which deploy at speed to reduce drag.

The Flextreme GT/E is said not to be an indicator of a new model, but an indication of what can be achieved with the new Ampera platform. It has concept flights of fancy like big wheels and a fingerprint recognition system, but for all that it’s a credible presentation. Claims on performance are decent at 0-60mph in under 9 seconds and a full recharge from a domestic socket is said to be 3 hours.

That’s the Flextreme GT/E in a nutshell, but as always with a concept there’s loads more to read in the Vauxhall Flextreme GT/E press release.