PARIS MOTOR SHOW: Opel Adam no go for Godzone – for now

Opel's new premium light segment hatchback burst onto the scene in Paris this morning, accompanied by a bunch of hipsters rapping in different European languages. The rappers delivered a metaphor for the car's 'catch-all' cachet, offering high levels of customisation in three 'moods' – the Jam, the Glam and the Slam.

Opel says that the Adam Jam mood is "bold and funky" and "fashion conscious". Adam Glam is "elegant and stylish" and appeals to "people with refined tastes", according to the manufacturer. Adam Slam is "masculine, sporty and streetwise," apparently. Opel's Volker Brien, Director of Marketing Operations, explained that there's a certain mystique to rap that somehow plays into the marketing of the car, although it seems more black art than science.

"The big advantage for us Europeans is we only understand half of it," he said with a laugh. He explained that the rap motif cuts across the gender divide, but he doesn't expect the Adam to sell to 25-year olds, necessarily. The demographic, he feels, is more likely to be between 30 and 50 years of age.

A clothing analogy kindly offered by Mr Brien to clarify the three moods is as follows: Adam Jam represents urban street wear, Adam Glam is 'after five' and Adam Slam is the Dunlop Volley look.

Opel made a mighty splash in Paris with the Adam. No other Opel or Vauxhall model appeared on the stand; the day was all about the premium light hatch. The rap routine did all the talking and the closest the suits came to a conventional presentation was when the car's design team stepped out on stage to accept the plaudits of the showgoers.

All of this exposes one certainty: The Adam will be strongly marketed as a car for young people and will not target the nostalgia crowd as the Fiat 500 does. Unlike the 500, the Adam will be making its own history and not harking back to earlier decades.

That’s the reason for Opel’s positioning the car the way it has; the youthful music, the specification rich in infotainment technology, the ultra-modern design and the build quality that is reportedly well above the standard set by the Corsa model.

"We don't have that history," Mr Brien said. "It never works out if you try to achieve something that is not a given."

Whether the same sort of marketing would work in Australia – assuming the car even goes on sale through local dealers – remains to be seen. But the immediate likelihood of the Adam going on sale in Australia is a remote prospect at present anyway, says Michael Klaus, Opel's Executive Director of International Operations.

It's not a question of landed cost: Volker Brien explained that the entry-level Adam is priced at €10,990 (A$13,600) in France, or €11,300 (A$14,000) for the same car in Germany. What concerns Michael Klaus about introducing a car like the Adam to Australia too soon is that the Opel brand is barely recognised as yet. Buyers are yet to work out which model they want and Mr Klaus doesn't want them purchasing an Adam when the right choice might be a Corsa.

"We have several opportunities on the table." he said. "Whether Adam is part of it, we haven't fully decided. We believe that when we look at the Australian market at the moment, we cover the segment very well with the Corsa Colour Edition.

"It's more important that we establish the other car lines first; also I don't want to overwhelm the dealers. We want to set the right priorities. So therefore at this time we have not made a decision whether we bring it."

Mr Klaus is more upbeat about the Meriva mini-MPV coming to Australia, although the same logic applies. It would and could complicate the product portfolio at a critical time and it's a product that would be up against Australians' perennial favourite family car, the compact SUV.

And despite his enthusiasm for the Meriva, he admits that in some markets – Australia presumably being one – a car perceived to be a C-segment MPV should offer seven-seat capacity rather than five-seat capacity – the Meriva's upper limit. In reality the Meriva is based on the B-Segment Corsa, but looks larger, more like a C-Segment car.

Either way you cut it, the Meriva is likely to struggle against a seven-seater like Kia's new Carens/Rondo, despite the Kia being half a size larger. Buyers won't necessarily take that into account. So Opel is not rushing to market in Australia with either the Meriva or the Adam.

"We are not in a hurry with that car [the Adam]," Mr Klaus continued. "I think we have enough work to do to establish our four cars, [but we are] happy with the start, happy with the work that has been done so far."

The three-door hatch is what the European car manufacturers call an 'A-segment' car, meaning it's smaller than most cars in the VFACTS light segment. It's closer in footprint to the Holden Barina Spark and seats four persons only. Unlike Opel's practical Agila, Adam is designed as a boutique model and in Europe is priced accordingly.

At 3.7m long and 1.72m wide, the Adam will be a cosy place inside, but the interior design is bright and modern for the target buyer. Clearly aimed at the tech-savvy, the Adam features IntelliLink, an infotainment system compatible with both Android and Apple operating systems. The car’s Park Assist system will also allow it to park itself, while Hill Start Assist is also on the equipment list.

Available with a 1.2-litre and two 1.4-litre petrol engines, the Adam offers a five-speed manual transmission only, limiting its sales potential in Australia. The smaller engine develops 51kW while the 1.4-litre engine produces either 64kW or 74kW. Auto-stop/start is available too and Opel claims the Adam is rated as low as 5.0L/100km for fuel consumption. According to the manufacturer, in due course there will be a higher-performance engine boasting direct injection and turbocharging. That engine will be matched to a six-speed manual.

Opel has structured the Adam lineup for Europe with a base model and – for around €1000 more – a higher level of trim shared across the Jam/Glam/Slam customisation 'moods'. What the company is seeking to do, according to Volker Brien, is to recreate Kia's Soul and its affordable personalisation program for the Adam.

It's one thing for a small car to come in under $30,000 in Australia, but if the price rises dramatically to around the Luxury Car Tax threshold due to options specified, buyers will inevitably feel stung.

"It will be affordable," Mr Brien said of the Adam's customisation options.

Read more Paris Motor Show stories at motoring.com.au

See all the photos from the Paris Motor Show at motoring.com.au

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