New Opel / Vauxhall Adam Debuts at Paris, Priced in Germany and the UK [86 Photos]

The stylish, highly customizable city car niche has just welcomed a new member. It’s the Opel or Vauxhall in the UK, Adam, a three-door, four-seater hatchback that will fight the Fiat 500 and the Mini.

Featuring a distinctive styling and what Opel calls a “floating roof” that can be ordered in two different shades that contrast the bodywork, the 3.7 m long Adam is counting a lot on the “more than a million” possible customization options and its lengthy equipment list to make a name for itself in the premium subcompact market.

Opel’s president of design Mark Adams claims, “no other car in this segment can be individualized as much as the Adam… It’s very unlikely that you’ll find two identical Adams out there”. Now, this certainly brings a sense of déjà vu – but let’s not name names…

At launch, the Adam will be available with three four-cylinder petrol engines: a 1.2-liter with 69HP (70PS) and two 1.4-liter units producing 86 or 98HP (87 and 100 PS respectively). Later on, a new generation of small petrol engines with forced induction and direct injection, as well as a new six-speed transmission, will join the range.

Electronic stability control is standard across the lineup as well as a CITY mode that lightens the steering wheel for easier urban navigation (now, that rings a bell, doesn’t it…).

Moreover, the Adam features a new infotainment system that’s designed to support most popular new technologies, such as connectivity with Android or Apple smartphones.

Along with the Adam’s Paris debut Vauxhall announced that the new city car will be priced from £11,255 to £14,000 in the UK, while in Germany, prices start at €11,500 (US$14,900 at the current exchange rates).

The Adam will be available in three trims, named JAM, GLAM and SLAM, which the company represent fashionable/colorful, elegant/sophisticated and racy/sporty styles respectively.

Prospective buyers can place their orders for the Adam starting from today, with first deliveries scheduled for January 2013.

The Adam is offered in 12 body colors with funky/cheesy names (take your pick) like “Purple Fiction”, “I’ll be Black” and “Men in Brown”, while other options include 20 different wheel designs from 16- to 18-inches and over a dozen interior shades.

If that’s not enough, you can also specify exterior decal packages for the door mirrors, the sides and roof of the car, add colored or LED-lit foils to the interior panels and even personalize the roof with a “starlight headliner” that comprises 60 LED lights or choose between three printed color motifs with clouds, autumn leaves and checker-board graphics.

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