Slated to be revealed at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, the Opel ADAM is a far cry from the old 4/8. For one, it has MP3, Bluetooth, and iPod/Smartphone integration. Add to that standard ABS, EBD, variable/switchable EPS, SBSA (Side Blind Spot Alert), and APA II (Advanced Parking Assist), which parks your car for you, and the ADAM could come out as the most tech-heavy micro-car to ever hit the market.
One might question the need of a self-parking feature on a car that measures a mere 3.7 meters long, but hey, it gives you more time to check Facebook via the Apple iOS / Android interface. But lest you think the ADAM is all about toys, Opel assures us that the ADAM’s short 2,311mm wheelbase and “sports” chassis translate to an entertaining drive. Helped, no doubt, by the available 1.4 liter turbocharged direct injection engine choice and low-profile wheel choices topping out at a massive 18 inches. Say what you want, but the ADAM brings the bling.
As such, maybe it’s not meant for lowly seamstresses on a blue-collar budget. Opel has no illusions about what its potential market is. Unlike the Opel Corsa, Chevrolet Aveo, and Chevrolet Spark which are built off of the same GM Gamma II platform, the ADAM is targeted at the lifestyle-segment buyers. The same trendy urbanites and hipsters who would otherwise be tootling around in MINI Coopers and Fiat 500s. While the Opel name may not have the same brand cachet as MINI, the ADAM has the potential to transcend its plebeian roots, just like Opel itself did, over a hundred years ago.
