Nearly production ready, the Opel GTC Paris concept.
Let’s make it clear up front: there are no plans to bring the Opel GTC Paris to the U.S. Let’s quickly add: too bad. The striking three door concept vehicle making its debut at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, later this week, is just the sort of design that could help kick-start the moribund American hatchback market.
Luckily for European buyers the show car does have a future in the Opel line-up, where it is set to become the next-generation Astra.
The nearly production—ready Opel GTC Paris will take its place on the German maker’s stand at the Mondial de l’Automobile alongside the updated Astra Sports Tourer.
In concept trim, the 5-seat GTC Paris pushes the design edge with a Liquid Metal Red paint scheme that highlights a sculpted body accented by LED lamps, 21-inch alloy wheels with carbon fiber inserts and twin tailpipes.
Inside the charcoal gray cabin there are eye-grabbing black seats with contrasting red stitching, a race-ready small steering wheel, metal inserts and a textured instrument panel.
Under the hood is a 282 horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four that uses direct injection and start-stop technology to balance performance and fuel economy. It drives a 6-speed manual gearbox and a limited-slip differential.
Though some of the more outlandish details will likely be toned down for production, Opel is describing the GTC Paris as “tantalizingly close to a production offering.”
Until last year, there might have been a chance of getting that production version into the U.S. as the now-defunct Saturn brand was channeling Opel products over to this side of the Atlantic, including the Astra. Buick’s new Regal is based on a European design but there appear, for now, to be no plans to add an Astra-based derivative to its growing line-up.