Opel and sister company Vauxhall have slowly moved away from the conservative image they used to have in the days of the last-gen Vectra, a car which pretty much summed up their range some 10 years ago, as it was not particularly good to look at, drive or own, being engineered to be just competent enough to sell and not break down. Besides, it also built on a renowned Opel quality: cheap spare parts and simple cars that are relatively easy to work on and mend.
However, nowadays Opel makes the Adam, which is their MINI and Fiat 500 rival, the GTC that is quite stylish and very fast in OPC guise, and even the Insignia could be called handsome and a much more attractive overall purchase than the Vectra it replaced.
They will definitely keep building upon these new values, with the planned Monza Concept, a car which revives an old nametag, which is stuck onto the back of what promises to be the best expression of the automaker’s current design language. We now know what it’s face looks like, because it has just been teased through a selection of photos and a German-narrated video.
On the face of it, the Monza Concept is clearly a modern Opel car, and looks to have been designed to feel like a bundle of aggression just waiting to be let loose. Also, if the rather handsome (albeit more conservative) Cascada two-door drop-top is anything to go by, then it is definitely one of the must-see vehicles to be shown at the Frankfurt motor show, in September.
Here’s what Opel said in a press statement about the concept model, which if produced, could very well end up wearing a Buick badge as well:
“The sporty appeal of Opel models has always been inseparably linked to functionality and, in this respect, the Monza Concept pays homage to the seminal Opel Monza Coupé, built between 1978 and 1986. It also combined elegant, dynamic styling with clever, functional solutions for drivers and passengers. Similarities between the two cars are visible in design elements such as their large, glazed surfaces and low belt-line.”
“The original Monza was the first car on the market to feature a digital dashboard display and the Monza Concept continues this innovative theme. It introduces ground-breaking technologies for future infotainment and connectivity possibilities, showing how next-generation Opel cars will address the needs of a closely connected and sharing society. They will enable future individual mobility that’s more than simply a driving experience alone.”
By Andrei Nedelea
PHOTO GALLERY