Vauxhall’s New City Car To Be Approved

A report which was published in Autocar said that the new city car designed by Vauxhall/Opel will be approved very soon. The company is just waiting for six to eight weeks before the production can proceed. The city car should be on sale by 2012.

Autocar also interviewed Nick Reilly, the head of Europe’s General Motors. According to Reilly, the city car segment hasn’t been exploited by GM’s rivals yet. This is the reason why the company is so interested in exploring its potentials. Opel’s city car will tap into a younger generation of consumers who do not associate status with the size of their cars.

These seemingly general statements reveal two things which aren’t directly being said about the city car. For one, it’s going to be very fuel efficient. Secondly, it’s also going to be significantly small. Unfortunately, its smallness might not sit well with the market in the U.S.

From Reilly’s statement alone, the Vauxhall/Opel city car seems like a tiny electric car that’s a great second-vehicle option for city drivers. If you’re in the United States, though, this will least likely be bought as a primary vehicle.

Reilly added that the city car won’t be available as an electric vehicle just yet. Going full production on an electric drive city car is the long term plan, though. He said that a fully-electric variant should be available as soon as possible.

The Vauxhall EV concept seems perfect for Europe, but what would be even more impressive for the American-market is a Chevy version of the city car. If only GM would consider producing that one.