Opel asks Norwegian dealers to stop taking Bolt orders

[malcolm]

Opel asks Norwegian dealers to stop taking orders for Bolt EVs (Ampera E) as supply can’t match demand

Apparently, that supply has been nowhere near the level of the demand for the vehicle in Europe and especially in Norway.

Reports came out this week that Opel was ordering a ‘order stoppage’ for the vehicle which prompted rumors that the vehicle wouldn’t be available anymore.

We reached out to the company and Opel spokesperson Christopher Rux responded that they have indeed “suspended taking new orders for the Ampera-e,” but he claims that it is “to focus first on satisfying customers with existing contracts and who are waiting for their cars.”

He says that “nearly 1,000 Ampera-E vehicles” have been delivered in Europe so far, with most of them in Norway, but deliveries have also started in Germany, Switzerland, and Netherlands.

On the other hand, Rux confirmed that almost 5,000 people have placed orders for the electric car in Norway alone.

Once again GM steps forward to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory!

Maybe next year they'll stop production entirely, citing poor demand

 

[EinSV]

This is just pathetic.

 

[arcus]

This is just pathetic.

... and sad...

 

[Yggdrasill]

It's quite understandable that they are stopping the practice of writing new contracts. New customers were being told that they could hope for delivery in 2019. They couldn't even promise that.

 

[Sunshine State]

... and sad...

It would be like if Tesla told customers they should buy model S cars instead of model 3 cars because they didn’t plan ahead for the understandable demand. Just joking but didn’t GM just sell Opel? They may be loosing money on the Bolt, ramping production to sell to an old sold division at a loss wouldn’t benefit Gm at all.

 

[EinSV]

It's quite understandable that they are stopping the practice of writing new contracts. New customers were being told that they could hope for delivery in 2019. They couldn't even promise that.

I don't think the details of the arrangement between GM and PSA for the Bolt/Ampera-E are public but this certainly seems to reinforce the Bolt's compliance car status.

If GM could make money selling it, I can't imagine why they wouldn't just ramp up production to meet the demand in Norway. Actually, given all of the Bolts sitting unsold on lots in the U.S. they would not even need to ramp up production -- they could just make more cars for the Norwegian market.

 

[arcus]

It would be like if Tesla told customers they should buy model S cars instead of model 3 cars because they didn’t plan ahead for the understandable demand

At least Tesla has the Model S to lure you away from cheaper alternative