Opel announced the company will launch a European version of the Volt plug-in electric car in 2011. The Chevrolet variant will appear three to six months later in European markets.

"Opel will have a version of the Volt that will look more like an Opel. It will be a close sister to the Chevrolet Volt," said a GM source.

GM wants Opel/Vauxhall to be seen as a technologically advanced brand in Europe and for this reason the brand will launch the E-Flex electric vehicle architecture seen in the Volt ahead of Chevrolet.

"We are trying to position Opel toward the upper side of the high-volume segments and having the Volt technology will give Opel a competitive edge," the source told Automotive News Europe.

GM aims to launch production versions of the Volt in the US in late 2010. The proposed European variant, the Flextreme, was shown at the 2007 IAA in Frankfurt.

The first models to reach Europe will be supplied from the Hamtramck assembly plant in Detroit, but GM also plans to make the car here.

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