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Opel TRIXX study

Paris. Opel's designers and engineers have, over the years, repeatedly won praise for their exciting and pioneering concept studies. Two outstanding examples are the In-signia, presented at the IAA 2003 in Frankfurt, and the innovative ultra-compact TRIXX, showcased for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2004. Before then, the Russelsheim Design Center had hit the headlines with concepts such as the bold MAXX (1995) and the cheeky Frogster (2001).

One outstanding example of the creativity and expertise of Opel's design team is the ultra-compact city car, TRIXX (length/width/height: 3.04/1.66/1.7 m), with its many in-genious and innovative ideas. It boasts a brilliantly conceived packaging and Opel's typical variable interior layout, which can accommodate either three adults and a child or a large amount of luggage or other objects when only the driver is on board. Its spa-cious trunk has a volume of 890 liters (VDA standard), and, with its loading length of 1.53 meters, can accommodate even a complete mountain bike inside. There are three electrically operated pantograph doors, two on the passenger's side and one on the driver's side, so that people can enter and leave the car very easily and conveniently. This makes the TRIXX the ideal partner to meet all urban mobility requirements.

Other brilliant ideas - and the TRIXX has plenty of them - are the inflatable rear seat, a front passenger's seat that can be folded away, and a roof hatch that opens when a button is pressed to permit long objects to be carried upright. There is a luggage rack at the rear that can be pulled out like a drawer to carry heavy or dirty objects. The lively TRIXX has very modest fuel consumption, and is powered by the modern 1.3-liter CDTI turbocharged diesel engine with common-rail direct injection and an output of 51 kW (70 hp).

The TRIXX, whose contours are reminiscent of an SUV, makes a strong visual im-pression with its powerful lines, short overhangs and emotive interpretation of Opel's form language. Among the design elements closely associated with the Opel brand are the crease on the hood, the characteristic side-window graphics and the pronounced wheel arch lips. The tapering front and rear ends of the body - like the new Astra - emphasize the dynamic, yet immediately appealing character of this study. The cockpit of the TRIXX is matched in every way to the driver's practical needs, and is designed in the style of an American car of the 1950s with a milled aluminum speedometer to create a 3D effect.

Story by Opel