Opel Adam May Come To America As A Buick

Tiny microcars are all the rage in Europe, with buyers flocking to models like the MINI Cooper and Volkswagen Up!, and GM wants to cut off a slice of the tiny car pie for itself. The Opel Adam is GM’s subcompact fighter, and word on the street is it could come to America as a Buick, giving the entry-level luxury brand its first competitive compact car in years.

Sure, the Chevy Spark has surprised GM by strong sales, but the subcompact econobox could never be tarted up enough to be sold as a Buick. But the higher-class Opel Adam, with its sporty design and inclusion of many high-end technologies not found in other cars in this segment, could easily be rebadged and marketed as a Buick.

For example, the Opel Adam gets a self-parking feature, heated leather steering wheel, optional front and rear LED lights, and blind-sport alert technology. The Adam can also be had with up to 18-inch wheels (which would look downright silly on a Chevy Spark) and a cutting-edge 1.0 liter, three-cylinder turbo engine is making its debut in the Opel city car. The Opel Adam is also available as bi-fuel model running on propane, though a planned pure electric version was cancelled due to costs.

GM has sought to align Buick and Opel more closely in recent years, the result has driven Buick sales higher and the average buyer age lower. A classy and sporty Buick compact could lure in even younger buyers, though it probably won’t happen until the next-gen Adam hits markets, if at all.

Source: The Truth About Cars