Opel recently teased car enthusiasts with a GT concept car but later said that they are not going to push it into production. However, they are going to bring out a new model named the Ampera-e for the European buyers.

As the name suggests, the Ampera is an electric car and Europe being one of the rapidly developing markets, where people are completely good to go with electric motors, it is easy to make their first step there than anywhere else in the world. It is a five-door five-seat hatchback car, which is expected to be priced at the lower tier so as to attract the most number of people into opting for it.

Opel expects the Ampera-e to compete with Volkswagen e-Golf, Ford Focus electric and BMW’s i3 electric variants. The company confirmed that they have an aggressive marketing and launch policy for the next five years. The brand is highly confident that before the end of the decade, by 2020, there will be at least 29 new vehicles added to their lineup.

Ampera was the first model to come out of the company that created a new benchmark for electric vehicles and the new car is built on the same platform with the best connectivity features and driving dynamics. On the inside, the Opel Ampera-e is powered by an electric motor which is capable of delivering 197 horsepower combined with 266lb feet of torque. It is expected to accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in approximately eight seconds.

A similar battery is already being used by Chevrolet Bolt, which can charge from zero to full in just nine hours. Opel will most probably be aware of the fierce competition they will face against Chevrolet because of the cars being identical. However, they have their own list of exclusive features and add-ons to help the car stand out of competition. It includes the OnStar proprietary infotainment system and its capability to work with most smartphone services.

Talking about the upcoming launch, the company’s head said that they aim to break the barriers set on electric cars by making them cheaper with increased mile range. It encourages daily commuters and the average joe to go for it without second thoughts. After the initial launch in Europe, the car will be made available in the UK, while the other regions are yet to be confirmed by Opel. If they could launch so many as planned, it might be a big achievement for Opel.