 | |
 | |
| 2001-01-03 | |
 | |
 | |
January 3, 2001
Detroit. Opel and Vauxhall are starting the 2001 motorshow circuit by presenting three exciting vehicles – featuring advanced weightsaving and environmentally compatible technology – to the American public in Detroit. On the General Motors (GM) stand, Opel and Vauxhall are presenting the extremely economical Astra Eco 4 – the first four-liter car in the high-volume compact class, "HydroGen1" – a road-going, hydrogen-powered fuel-cell concept vehicle, and the Vauxhall VX 220 – the no-holds-barred two seater sports car known as the Opel Speedster in continental Europe. Consuming just 4.4 liters of diesel, the Opel Astra Eco 4 demonstrates the contribution advanced technology can make to saving our limited natural resources. The record-breaking compact-class fuel saver is based on the Astra 1.7 DTI 16V with the same rated power output of 55 kW / 75 hp. It owes its low fuel consumption to the economi-cal direct-injection diesel engine on the one hand and, on the other, to the combination of high gear ratios that help to keep engine speeds down and various carefully thought-out aerodynamic improvements. Size 175/80 low-friction tires complete the Astra Eco 4 package. With its generous interior space and comprehensive safety and equipment package, the Eco 4 is a fully fledged family car. Just how low its consumption can be was demonstrated by 100 amateur drivers in the final stage of a special event organ-ized by the German Automobile Club (AvD) last fall. On average, the contestants cov-ered 100 kilometers on only 3.9 liters of diesel. The winning entrant crossed the finish-ing line after using a remarkable 1.953 liters. Also on show in Detroit, "HydroGen1" – an experimental fuel cell vehicle based on the successful Zafira compact van – shows how much progress Opel and GM have made on the road towards an even more environmentally compatible future. The engineering study is driven by a 55 kW / 75 hp three-phase electric motor that gives it a top speed of 140 km/h. The necessary electric energy is generated by a hydrogen-powered fuel-cell stack. The range of this fully functional five-seater is around 400 kilometers. In re-cent months "HydroGen1" attracted considerable public attention first as the pace car for the men's and women's marathons at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and shortly after-wards as the star of a four-day symposium on fuel cell technology in Beijing. The work-shop attracted around 300 participants – including government officials, journalists and scientists – mainly from China but also from Japan, Korea, Singapore and India. The zero-emission fuel cell technology showcased in "HydroGen1" was developed by the 300 specialists working at the Global Alternative Propulsion Center (GAPC), which was founded by Opel and GM in 1998 and has locations in Germany and the USA. With this prototype the world's largest automobile manufacturer emphasizes its leading position in the development of fuel-cell vehicles and also its determination to introduce cars with this environmentally compatible and resource-conserving technology at af-fordable prices. According to Hans H. Demant who heads Opel's International Techni-cal Development Center in Rüsselsheim, "Hydrogen is unquestionably the fuel of the future." Pure driving excitement is the raison d'etre for Vauxhall's lightweight VX 220 (the Opel Speedster outside the United Kingdom). The two-seater is Opel's first mid-engined sports car and the first Opel to use aluminum and composite materials for the chassis and body. The Speedster is built for driving enthusiasts looking for an uncompromised sports car experience. It sprints to 100 km/h in only 5.9 seconds, reaches a top speed of 217 km/h and demonstrates exemplary agility and road-holding. Intelligent, lightweight design comple-ments a highly efficient new engine to give the Speedster its impressive performance. The aluminum, 2.2-liter, four-cylinder ECOTEC engine has 108 kW/147 hp, consumes 8.2 liters of premium fuel (MVEG norm) and already meets the Euro 4 emissions standard. The philosophy behind the Speedster can best be de-scribed with the words, "minimal weight, high efficiency, maximum enjoyment". | |
| |