THE FUTURE IS GREEN, THE FUTURE IS FLEXTREME
FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW EXCLUSIVE
Words by Brian Laban
Pictures by Vauxhall
The stand lighting as they unveiled one spectacular car after another was a gentle, soothing blue, but the message coming loud and clear from Vauxhall’s parent General Motors at the Frankfurt Show in mid September was definitely green. And while environmental issues took centre stage in Frankfurt, GM had one of the most impressive reveals of all, in the stunning shape of the Opel/Vauxhall Flextreme concept. One of six GM production or concept cars making global debuts at the world’s biggest motor show (alongside five more making their European debuts), Flextreme looks ahead to how future Vauxhalls could adapt many of GM’s industry-leading technologies.
At its heart is the E-Flex hybrid power system, where E stands for Electricity and Flex means that that can come from a whole range of sources, from ‘plug-in’, to small, super-efficient on-board engines to charge the batteries on the move. What’s more, those can run on almost any fuel, from petrol to diesel to CNG Compressed Natural Gas to bioethanol.
E-Flex can even power its batteries directly from hydrogen fuel-cell technology as already shown in the latest Volt concept – with no need for an internal combustion engine of any kind, leading towards genuine zero-emissions performance.
Even combining electric power with a small diesel engine and Flextreme’s sophisticated hybrid control strategies, the concept promises consumption of just 1.5l/100km (that’s an amazing 188mpg!) equating to just 40g/km CO2 emissions – way below anything currently possible in production.
And for journeys of up to 55km, say in city use, and the kind of distance many drivers will typically cover in everyday use, Flextreme can run on battery power alone, which means its CO2 emissions in this mode are precisely zero.
But the beauty of Flextreme isn’t only in its ultra-clean drivetrain technology; its ‘Dynamic Monocab Concept’ styling is superb, its interior is both roomy and strikingly handsome, and it has the kind of versatility we’ve come to expect from any Vauxhall family car.
In this case that means the new FlexDoor system, that includes ‘gullwing’ tailgate openings, for easy access even in tight spaces. And one final touch, when you arrive at your destination and could still use another level of personal mobility, Flextreme has not one but two ‘Segway’ scooters neatly stowed under the luggage compartment floor, and also charging from Flextreme’s hybrid powertrain. It’s a very impressive package indeed.
FLEX IN THE CITY!
Alongside the show-stopping concepts in Frankfurt, Vauxhall’s smallest car made its own big entrance, with the world debut of the New Agila, which goes on sale early next year and adds even more appeal to a model that’s already one of the most versatile compact cars on the market.