Opel is a part of General Motors’ European arm and is one of world's oldest auto companies. The company is looking at freshening up its product line in Europe and is actively working on a campaign to overhaul its complete operations there. In a quest to venture into new business avenues, Opel has decided to bring hybrid models in Europe within a span of 5 years. The first of the model to hit the roads will be Ampera which will enter the European markets by end of 2011.
"We are confident that we can not only maintain but also expand our market share in Europe," said GM Europe head Nick Reilly. Opel currently enjoys 6.5 percent in market share in Europe. It has 9 percent market share in its home country Germany and over 7.3 percent in Western Europe alone. Opel initially aims to sell 10,000 to 15,000 units annually in the initial stages and later expand its sales volume.
General Motors is also actively working on bringing a small car model to Europe as it currently does not have a model that can compete with VW Up! or Ford Ka. However, such a plan is expected to materialize only by 2012.
