(Thu 18 Feb 10)

With the new, compact Ampera electric car heading towards production, Vauxhall is to demonstrate that it is already thinking about using similar technology for larger vehicles.

The first example of this is the Flextreme GT/E Concept, which will make its debut at the Geneva Show early next month. Like the Ampera, it has an electric motor driving the front wheels, plus a 1.4-litre petrol engine which is used solely as a generator for the battery pack.

Despite being larger than the Ampera, the Flextreme GT/E is claimed to have similar performance and fuel usage figures. The quoted top speed is "over 125mph", while fuel consumption (when the engine is running) should be around 175mpg, with CO2 emissions of no more than 40g/km.

The Flextreme achieves all this by being very aerodynamic, partly because it's quite low, partly because it's light for its size, partly because of the body shape and partly because the underbody is fully enclosed so as not to disturb airflow beneath the car any more than necessary.

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