The carmaker said it had streamlined the production process and cut component costs through economies of scale since the first cars rolled off the line in Detroit, Michigan, and was now able to pass the savings on to consumers.

In August, General Motors also dropped the price of the mechanically similar Chevrolet Volt by $5,000 (£3,100) in the United States and Canada, also citing improvements in the production process as a reason why – the Volt and Ampera are built on the same production line.

Opel chief executive officer, Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, commented: ‘With our new pricing, we show our straightforwardness and continue to pursue our strategy for sustainable mobility. We at Opel remain committed to investing in electric propulsion and believe in an emission-free automotive future – not in the future, but today.’

Vauxhall has yet to announce whether lower pricing will be adopted in the United Kingdom.