Press Release
Page 1 – Overview
Page 2 – Market
Page 3 – Design
Page 4 – Luggage Concept
Page 5 – Interior & Equip
Page 6 – Body & Safety
Page 7 – Chassis - Powertrain
Page 8 – Production
Page 9 – Glossary
Page 10 – Tech Specs
Design
Purebred Coupé with Elegant Open-Air Fun
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Sporty and elegant as cabrio and coupé
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Design quality with safety, comfort, and plenty of room
The new Opel Astra TwinTop embodies two purebred automobile souls in one car: light hearted open-air fun without sacrificing the comfort and safety advantage of a closed car. The designers realized a sporty cabrio that is immediately identifiable as a member of the successful Astra family. While the dynamic three-door Astra GTC served as the model and design basis, 70 percent of all body parts were specially developed to create the unique, innovative cabrio-coupé.
The Astra TwinTop has an elegant, coupé-like line. Taut surfaces and precise, sharply contoured lines blend with expressive graphic elements to create an exciting look. Balanced proportions and the compact rear section combine with the arching roof line to form the harmonious silhouette. This design concept, unique in the cabrio segment, was made possible by the completely newly-developed, three-part roof system. In addition to the coherent, elegant design, the innovative retractable roof system enables first-class seating comfort in all four seats as well as generous luggage compartment space (up to 440 liters). Uwe Müller, Chief Designer, Astra TwinTop: “Our goal was to build a cabrio that is also eye-catching when closed. Thanks to its arched side graphics and low roof line, the four-seater also looks just as dynamic and sporty as a coupé.�
Opel and specialists from CarTopSystems (CTS) rose to the occasion to successfully realize the clear design concept. Thanks mainly to the new roof system, the result is a four-seat cabrio that is sporty and elegant both open and closed. The new Astra TwinTop’s harmonious looks are formed by the arrow-shaped front with characteristic Opel crease and sporty honeycomb grille, wedge-shaped side graphics and compact, newly-designed rear section. The long sloping windshield also protects rear-seat passengers from strong drafts and is a key element in the Astra TwinTop’s curved coupé silhouette.
Three-dimensional, clear glass headlamps and tail lights wrapped around into the side profile and pronounced wheel arches give the front and rear overhangs an extremely short appearance. Together with the long, 2.61-meter wheelbase, they underline the Astra TwinTop’s powerful, elegant looks. With a length of almost 4.5 meters, the compact-looking cabrio reaches dimensions comparable to mid-size models.
Classic cabrio line
Astra TwinTop designers wrapped the wedge-shaped, slightly rising body shoulder line around the rear end, giving it a crisp and compact look. The high-quality horizontal chrome strip on the trunk lid extends into the tail lights, giving the rear an unmistakable look. The characteristic Opel arrow-shaped front is echoed in the rear, underlining the rear section’s sporty, elegant character. The solid aluminum roll bars of the standard-equipment active roll-over protection system are concealed behind the rear head restraints, so as not to disturb the car’s harmonious, balanced look when the top is down.
Striking coupé silhouette
The arched, stretched roof silhouette is reminiscent of the legendary Calibra that represented a milestone for Opel in terms of sporty design and aerodynamic efficiency in the late 1980s. “A distinctive feature of the Astra TwinTop is the exceptionally smooth surface transitions between windows and body. In its coupé form, this gives the four-seater a powerful stance together with an elegant, sloping roof line. Only through the innovative three-part roof design were we able to harmoniously integrate the rear section into the balanced proportions of the car,� explains Uwe Müller. “We simply would not have been able to meet our design goal with a conventional, two-part variant.� The coupé character is further highlighted by the large, domed rear window and slim C-pillars. And the wind tunnel confirmed this very attractive design as effective and contemporary: with aerodynamic values of cD = 0.31 when closed, the Astra TwinTop sets standards in its segment.
