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By COLLEEN BARRY
AP Business Writer
Electric cars center stage at Geneva343 days ago
(AP:GENEVA) GM's troubled Adam five GmbH subsidiary presented the lithium-battery powered Ampera Tuesday at the Geneva Motor Show, where electric-powered vehicles gathered momentum as a way to persuade recession-shaken consumers to buy new cars.
Other automakers _ including Chrysler, Mitsubishi and Ford _ also touted their plans for electric cars as the industry both seeks to overcome the current crisis that has decimated sales and meet increasingly tough environmental and carbon emission standards.
Only European giant VW bucked the trend, saying its answer to the electric car would come out "in the coming decade."
European drivers could be silently cruising around in the Ampera by the end of 2011 _ the first 60 kilometers on pure electricity augmented by another 500 kilometers of extended range from an onboard gas engine, generating less than 40 grams of C02 emissions per kilometer.
"This is the kind of game-changing technology that the auto industry needs to respond to energy and environmental challenges," President of GM Europe Carl Peter Forster said.
Mitsubishi Motors Corp. said it has reached an understanding with Peugeot Citroen PSA to sell its new electric car "i MiEV" to European customers as early as late next year.
Mitsubishi's president Osamu Masuko said the collaboration could help pave the road to "tomorrow's sunny days" for the automotive industry, which is struggling amid the global economic downturn and a decline in global sales.
Peugeout will sell the car under its own brand in Europe, while Mitsubishi will launch the car in Japan this year.
The four-door, Herbie-like hatchback produces no carbon dioxide emissions and has a top speed of 130 kilometers per hour (80 mph). It has a range of 160 kilometers (100 miles) once its 330-volt lithium ion battery is charged for 14 hours.
By contrast, Ford and Chrysler showed concept cars.
Ford's presented at its stand a five-seater passenger vehicle developed for European markets by the same company it is working with on the Ford Connect van in the United States.
Chrysler showed its Dodge Circuit EV sports car, which was unveiled in Detroit.
While competitors preview electric autos they hope will help them survive the worldwide slump in auto sales, VW is moving slowly.
Chairman Martin Winterkorn said the German automaker would launch its first electric vehicle "in the next decade."
"Announcements alone have never brought new technology onto the road," Winterkorn told a presentation at the Geneva Auto Show. "It's a long path to safe, electric cars that are available for everyone. We are not talking about being the one with the fastest solution. We want the best solution."
VW has been weathering the storm better than most of the world's big automakers. The Wolfsburg, Germany-based company on Monday reported fourth-quarter profits.
"We expect to increase market share. Not volumes," Winterkorn said. Translation: VW cars will outsell their competitors, even as new car sales shrink.
Opel faces a particularly difficult situation. GM Europe has proposed that Opel loosen its ties with its beleaguered U.S. parent and said it would need euro3.3 billion in financing or guarantees from European authorities over the next two years. The aim would be to pay the money back in 2014 or 2015.
At the same time, the Ampera and the Chevrolet Spark, which Opel also presented in Geneva for sale in Europe by early next year, represents the kind of technology that it can get from its U.S. parent company.
The Ampera presented in Geneva was a white four-door sedan with a hatchback _ and a set of front headlights that created a menacing, masculine impression. An Opel official demonstrated how the car could easily be plugged into any household electrical supply.
Forster called on European governments to make changes that would help the proliferation of electric vehicles, including building codes that included outdoor power supplies.
"With the Ampera, we are inventing a new category of car that closes the gap between hybrids and battery operated vehicles," Forster said.
Most European drivers travel 50 kilometers to work, Forster said. "If you would use this car to get to and from work only, you may not need to buy a drop of petrol for the entire life of the car," Forster said.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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