Buick may want to slap its badge on the face of the Opel Adam, but it will be a while before it has the opportunity to take on Fiat and MINI.
According to Automotive News, Buick/GMC U.S. vice president Duncan Aldred believes the Adam “would make a great Buick,” despite the city car not being engineered with the U.S. domestic market in mind. Bringing the Adam up to snuff for American consumers would be “cost-prohibitive” at present, he adds, though the next-gen Adam would be tailored for the market.
The next such opportunity for a Buick Adam would come as early as 2018, which Aldred believes would be another opportunity to change consumer expectations of a brand once associated with senior citizens going to Denny’s for the early-bird special. In the meantime, another Opel — the Cascada — is in the process of Americanization, and should hit U.S. showrooms early next year.
Nah, Buick already has the Encore, they don’t need this
Don’t need it. This would compliment the Encore. It makes Buick a place those people who buy Tiny Homes something to consider.
Or it gives Buick/GMC sales persons a way to show how really big and massive the Sierra 2500HD is for persons with security issues.
Not more two-tone, please!
These little kitten kars cause distracted driving. I have too much paternal instinct to see one in traffic and not worry myself sick about the nice young woman inside. Then I messes up my own driving.
I think you can be my funny commenter replacement for Petezeiss, who was a replacement for Kenmore.
Did Kenmore get banned like Pete? Or did he pull the plug himself?
AFAIK, he just stopped coming here. Kenmore was never as rogue as Pete was.
Maybe kovakp is in the middle; funny but not ban-worthy!
Pete bought a book I recommended to him and now I’ll never get to know if he liked it. I feel so unresolved about the whole thing. He brought the ban hammer in early this year.
Oh no! Well, read over some of his old comments, and just imagine what he might have said.
Geez, you guys are slow
Pete Zeiss had something against humanity. Wasn’t he all against having kids? But I remember him also making white supremacy comments.
How’s white supremacy work when you don’t make any more whites?
I thought you only showed up after him, lol. My inbox indicates your first comments were around 1/12/15. He was banned 1/1/15!
Face palm
Well, proof positive.
I’m a child-hatin’ white supremacist whose real name is Eileen.
You were doing so well why not let it go?
@kovakp
Come on Eileen?
LOL
I’m not going to make identity assumptions!
Actually I suspected Kenmore and Zeiss were one in the same. There were similarities in the certain writing style between the two, and IIRC Kenmore resigned due to a disagreement over abortion of all things. Very possible he reconsidered but needed to save face via a new persona.
I asked that once of PZ, but of course got a denial. I too noticed the similar writing and vocab.
Though Mr. Kovakp does the same vocab too, lol.
I didnt realize PZ got banned, I wasn’t keeping up on my TTAC over the holidays.
Yall’s comment threads got pretty wacky.
(Kenmore seemed concerned about winter tires, PZ never did in my recollection.)
Oh no – PZ was banned? He and Lie2me were quite the synergistic comedy duo.
Weren’t they? I almost commented on so many of their little sidebars but I didn’t want to upset the flow.
It’s amazing how right GM is getting Buick. Maybe Buick would be a better candidate for the “Super Volt” than Cadillac
Huh? Gm hasn’t gotten Buick right since 2002 and the domestic sales prove it. Internet enthisiasts don’t buy Buicks, blue hairs do.
You know things are rough when they start insulting their own brand on TV for attention.
An upscale subcompact city car could be a perfect fit for Buick. It’s working for Mini
“In the meantime, another Opel — the Cascada — is in the process of Americanization, and should hit U.S. showrooms early next year.”
I’m very confused as to what could be taking so long. I though the Cascada was going to be released this year. Especially as the Delta II platform is being phased out and GM is upgrading all of its electronics architectures, the Cascada will be somewhat outdated by the time it arrives on our shores.
My concern on that one is less with the timeline and more with the pricing. I’m afraid they will overdo it like the Opel Regal.
As long as it isn’t another $35,000 Volkswagen Eos (aka Jetta convertible)…
LOL, oh Eos. What were they thinking.
Cascada MSRP won’t be a penny less than an A3, mark my words.
Agree with you completely. Since almost every new Opel arrives here as a Buick, why the hell weren’t the Cascada and Adam, some of their latest offerings, engineered to meet U.S. requirements from the get go? Typical GM bass ackward thinking.
The Cascada was engineered with America in mind. The car we are to get is nearly the same as the Vauxhall and Opel versions. Save the badge, the owners manual and a few other things. The American version even gets the exact same 1.6 liter gasoline 4.
Reasons for the wait, maybe possible production delays, a few engineering tweaks/upgrades, issues with production restraints. This car is sold in the EU and Australia and made in a single plant in Poland.
This is GM after all.
This could work if they don’t get wacky with the pricing.
While the Adam pictured does indeed look premium, I’m not sure “trendy small city car” is an area where Buick needs to play. If anything, old GM would have put this as a Saab or a Pontiac perhaps.
But not every brand has to compete across the board. Young people wanting a small car don’t think Buick, and they never will (because of everything else they build).
GM would do well to go back to the Sloan model of brands. While it’s understandable that every brand wants a product for every possible shopper, GM mgmt needs to be the adult and see to it that brand integrity is maintained. Even the Encore is pushing it for a brand trying to be near luxe, and this thing is a bridge too far.
I think it would make more sense for China, but its certainly a void in GM’s product portfolio. If the car is already engineered and built, why not just sell it everywhere?
The Buick brand is rapidly changing (in a good way). This completely fits within a 2015 Buick lineup.
Unless they try to make a roadster/convertible out of it, keep it in Europe. Smart is a disaster, and Fiat 500 isn’t lighting up the circuit. The only successful entrant I can think of has been Mini.
I honestly can’t remember who but someone made an astute comment that Uber killed the need for a “city” microcar in the US, and I think they were correct.
I know that aren’t exact competitors especially not in price but last year Fiat sold more cars than Mini. Fiat only has two models to Mini’s 7. And last year Mini sold less even with a brand new Mini Cooper, which is their core model, with sales down 15%.
But then Fiat does have about 20% of its sales going to fleet. So I don’t know.
As long as you can dingy-tow it, you’ll see these populating Naples, The Villages, Sun City Center, and other senior Enclaves eight months after into.
And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Don’t be surprised to see it as a Cadillac. GM registered both “CT2” and “Cadillac CT2”, so you never know. Place it in the Cadillac Boutiques and market it to young women.
I think the current ATS is going to be the CT2
>> I think the current ATS is going to be the CT2
That would make the CTS the CT3 – I don’t see two models between the CTS and the CT6. Maybe CT6, CT5=CTS, CT4=ATS, CT3=smaller than ATS sedan they say they want CT2=Adam.
They’ve also registered XT2 through XT8 for the SUVs & crossovers.
One caveat – just because they’ve registered the names as trademarks doesn’t mean they’ll use them.
Ok, if Cadilac follows Audi naming protocol, I think CTS sedan will be CT4. Two door or bastard “coupe” versions will CT5’s of some sort.Same with new “flagship” CT6. Expect CT7 “coupes”. ATS sedan.probably CT2, with.coupes CT3’s.
Whatever is in the water at the Ren Cen please stop drinking it GM executives.
To produce this, did they simply put a Fiat 500 into a 3D copier?
I could see this selling in the Bay area. It’s probably just about the only Buick that will sell in any kind of numbers in San Fran/Oakland. You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a Mini or a 500 out here.
Good for Buick, undercut the mini and match the Fiat on price, I could see these running around town in decent numbers.
I like the styling of this car very much. This kind of car is growing the world over and has become a niche in the US. Small car but relatively plush interior and ride. I think it fits into Buick quite well.
This car looks elegant and efficient.
I ant to give Opel props for doing up an Adam with big wheels and a black vinyl roof. Yes, a black vinyl roof. And it looked GREAT. I am in shock that I could be saying such a thing.
BTW: Adam is Adam because Adam Opel was named Adam. The Buick ought to be named David. Not just because of David Buick, but also because of David & Goliath. Works on so many levels . . . .
But doubtless, the gutless suits at GM will hire and “expert” who will tell them it be named Enclusive. Or some such foolishness.
Dad gum it, you took the words right out of my mou–, um, keyboard!
I even wiki’d Buick to check on his first name!
Oh, well, good job. My next lame quip will have to appear under a different article.