We write a lot about the 2011 Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle here. It's a radical new car, GM's first electric car since the late EV1, and it'll be in dealerships in just six months.

But GM has another electric car coming next year as well. It's the 2012 Opel Ampera.

2012 Opel Ampera, first pre-production vehicle, April 2010

2012 Opel Ampera, first pre-production vehicle, April 2010

2012 Opel Ampera, first pre-production vehicle, April 2010

2012 Opel Ampera, first pre-production vehicle, April 2010

Opel Ampera Prototype

Opel Ampera Prototype

Ummmm, what's an Opel Ampera? Well, basically, it's a Chevy Volt with a nose job, to be sold only in Europe by GM's longstanding German brand Opel. It's not as striking in black as the first spy photos of a white car were last year, but it's definitely different up front.

You see, the Chevrolet brand in Europe is largely used for inexpensive cars, most of them sourced from South Korea. Many Daewoo cars were rebranded as Chevrolets, in fact. So the more respected Opel brand made more sense for the prestigious, advanced-tech design.

Just to complicate matters further, it'll be sold in the U.K. only as the Vauxhall Ampera.  Vauxhall is the storied British brand whose lineup consists of rebadged Opels, with the same model names, but different badges and (of course) right-hand-drive.

While the first pre-production 2011 Volt rolled off the assembly line in Detroit's Hamtramck plant on the last day of March, the first pre-production 2012 Opel Ampera emerged four weeks later. It officially left a very different production line last Friday, April 23.

The Ampera was built on what GM calls its Pre-Production Operations assembly line in Warren, Michigan, a small test line used to build "production-intent design" vehicles for testing and validation. It's earlier in the process than the Volts that came off production tooling.

"We're right on target for producing the Ampera for European markets later next year," said Andrew Farah, the Ampera's vehicle chief engineer (he has the same title for the Volt).

"There's still work to be done," Farah added, "but being able to drive an Opel Ampera off our pre-production line is a great accomplishment for the teams here and in Europe."

The Volt and Ampera share technical specifications. Both provide up to 40 miles (60 kilometers) of electric range from a 16-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery.

After the pack is depleted, a 1.4-liter Ecotec engine-generator kicks in to provide power to the electric motor driving the front wheels. Total range is more than 300 miles (500 km).

The 2011 Volt will go on sale in selected U.S. markets in October, while the 2012 Opel Ampera will arrive at certain Opel dealers roughly a year later, with right-hand-drive Vauxhall models sometime during 2012.