Report: Vauxhall city car design to be approved soon, electric version coming asap

According to a report in Autocar, designers of the Vauxhall / Opel city car will be getting final approval for the new car within the next six to eight weeks and the production vehicle will be ready to go on sale by the end of 2012. Autocar spoke with Nick Reilly, head of General Motors Europe, and he offered up a bunch of little details about the upcoming city car. Reilly stated:

This segment has great potential – and there are not a great deal of rivals that are successfully exploiting it. That's the reason why we are working intensively on such a project. There is a segment in which wealthier and younger car buyers don't associate status with the size of the car.

Now, we already know that city cars offer remarkable fuel efficiency, albeit in a tiny package that might not sell well here in the states. We could see a diminutive electric city car as an attractive second-vehicle option for urban dwellers. GM appears to think the same as we do. Reilly added:

Such a car would suit electric drive. With pure electric drive, it becomes easier the smaller the car because you don't need such big battery as in larger cars. Electric drive won't likely be available at first – but it'll come as soon as it is possible.

Now, if only we could get them to commit to a U.S.-market Chevy version of this city car, we'd be infinitely pleased.

[Source: Autocar]