Could the Opel Adam Become a Buick?

Jul 18, 2012 05:48 PM EDT | Staff Reporter

Green Car Reports is indulging in idle speculation about whether the new Opel Adam (Vauxhall Adam in certain countries) could be introduced to US roads as the tiniest Buick in history (tinier, apparently, than the Reatta).

The Adam will officially be introduced at the Paris Motor Show in the fall, and sales are slated to begin in early 2013. The three-door hatchback features smartphone integration, automatic parking assist, and a blind-spot warning system.

It is geared towards hip young urban buyers; and its website includes a music video and focuses as much on revealing the car's funkiness as its technical specifications.

The Adam will offer a choice of three gasoline engines, ranging from 70 to 100 horsepower. Fuel economy has yet to be revealed, but Opel says that an ecoFLEX technology pack will be included. It will have a five-speed manual transmission, with a six-speed to follow.

It seems unlikely that a Buick will be released in the US with even a manual transmission option, let alone as standard, but once this easily-remedied hurdle is got over, the website might be on to something.  

The Adam's appearance in Buick showrooms would be a continuation of two trend:  America's renewed interest in distinctive European superminis, and Opels passing as Buicks on American roads.

As Green Car points out, Buick's Regal and Encore are both rebadged Opels ("Insignia" and "Mokka", respectively).

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