When Opel unveiled the Adam Rocks concept at this year’s Geneva Motor Show in March, the feedback was pretty much universally positive for the more rugged version of the normal Adam city car.
As a reminder, the Rocks concept is wider (by 20mm on each side) and higher (by 15mm) than the “regular Adam, features plastic cladding usually associated with off-roading wrapping the car from front to back, a cloth convertible roof, unique front turn signals and integrated side market lights in the “blip”, and sits on 18-inch wheels that have a different clip that makes them more expressive than the “normal” Adam.
But the one detail that really caught our attention was the use of the neon blue element that is used to highlight certain parts of the car, including the wheels (as an accent), the roof (as piping for the soft top) and the otherwise brandy-colored interior — including stitching and piping on the seats, shifter boot, and steering wheel.
Overall, Opel envisions the Adam Rocks Concept for those with a more outdoorsy lifestyle, and for those who want to express themselves in the city, and beyond city limits. Although no official production plans have been announced as of this writing, it sounds like Opel already has a target market figured out for the Rocks concept.
In this video, Chief Exterior Designer Niels Loeb demonstrates the prominent features of the more brawny Adam:
The GM Authority Take
If anything, the world needs more cars like the Rocks Concept. What’s not to love about  it?
On a side note, we wonder if the web app that Mr. Loeb mentions in the end of the video is at all similar to the OnStar RemoteLink application available to OnStar subscribers in North America. RemoteLink allows users to perform on their smartphone the functions that are otherwise available on the keyfob, including locking/unloking doors, activating the alarm (horn/lights), unlocking/popping the trunk, and even remotely starting the car. We envision that a feature to either open or close an automated convertible top would be a useful addition to the RemoteLink feature set.
Comments
Am I guessing right that GM is considering putting this into production? Maybe the future Adam cars there will be a budget model along with the mooted 1.0 SRi & VXR models.
The body cladding had me immediately thinking Pontiac. (Yes, I know Pontiac is dead.)
Will be interesting to see if GM has any plans for a 3dr estate, 5dr MPV, coupe, or any other model variants similar to that of the Mini & 500.
The app mentioned is supposed to close the roof automatically when it detects bad weather coming up. From the press release:
“The ‘networked’ roof’s special appeal is its intelligence: a special weather app, displayed on the color driver-information-center of the IntelliLink infotainment system, knows when a weather front is imminent and automatically initiates closing of the roof. Clever if, on a hot summer day, you leave your car open in front of your house and a storm arrives.”
But it is not clear to me, if this app detects bad weather by sniffing the air, or by accessing weather information from some web site for the location of the car.