Opel Adam Rocks quasi crossover

OPEL may be eyeing the Adam Rocks for Australia, but don’t expect to see the downscaled jacked-up city car or its Cabrio offshoot before the right combinations of engine and transmission are made available from 2015.

Previewed as a mini urban-crossover cum canvas-roofed Cabrio at the Geneva motor show last week, the Rocks gains 15mm of extra ground clearance and Subaru Outback-style plastic wheel arch cladding, making the beefed-up concept 20mm wider than the production Adam that debuted across Europe earlier this year.

However, there are no changes to the sub-B segment baby’s drivetrain for now, meaning that the 74kW/130Nm 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol unit, driving the front wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox, continues to be the most powerful engine on offer.

Given the green light, the Rocks will only be imported to Australia if it gains one of the automatic transmission options earmarked for General Motors’ new family of three and four-cylinder powerplants.

The Swiss show car also previews a Fiat 500C-like folding canvas roof option, complete with a special weather app displayed on the central touchscreen, underlining the vast number of personalisation accessories the Adam makes available for European buyers.

For less technologically savvy owners, the press kit states that, when open, the fabric roof “…offers a clear view of the sky above” – a visual and sensory back-up warning to the weather app’s ability to alert the Adam’s occupants of an imminent weather front.

Nappa leather upholstery and lighter colour accents complete the Rocks’ interior makeover, although their ability to withstand a sudden downpour is unknown.

Whether the concept’s LED headlights, new grille and front bumper treatments, front and rear scruff plates, centrally mounted exhaust, and ‘boomerang’ indicators translate to the production model due by the end of the year has also yet to be confirmed.