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For 1995 the Frontera has been updated. Opel exhibited an
interesting prototype, named Maxx.
"The New Opel concept for tailor-made mobility"
The official information:
Maximum versatility and safety Opel is displaying a new automobile concept at the 1995 Geneva International Motor Show - the MAXX. Each individual customer can choose exactly the appearance, equipment and amount of space he or she wants. Even if the owner's requirements or life-style later change, the appearance of the car can be adapted accordingly.
Opel will develop this concept for a future urban vehicle - the base version of which is slightly less than three meters long - in dialogue with the public.
Instead of conventional pressed steel panels, the body is made of extruded aluminum, similar to that used in the aircraft industry. As this material is shaped in an injection nozzle, sections of various shapes and dimensions can be produced very easily.
With the Opel MAXX, these sections are welded together to form a
kind of cage, partly exposed and included in the exterior and
interior design themes.
This cage not only provides optimum safety, but also the basis for
the modular construction which is the key to the MAXX concept: a
cabriolet, a pick-up, an off-roader, a van or a new kind of taxi
can all be built on the same platform. The customer alone decides
what vehicle he or she wants when the vehicle is ordered.
Although the dimensions cannot be altered, the customer can still change the exterior appearance and interior equipment, even after the vehicle has been delivered.
The short two-door version of the MAXX, with a length of 2975 millimeters, and a width and height of 1575 mm, already offers plenty of space. If the customer wants to carry lots of luggage, he can opt for just two seats and a cargo area about the same size as that of an Astra station wagon. Accommodation for four is provided simply by securing a rear bench-seat in the aluminum structure.
The dashboard cross member is an exposed, "C"-shaped, extruded aluminum section, in which the analogue or digital instruments, and options such as air conditioning, audio system, telephone and telefax, or the passenger airbag can be easily installed, even after delivery.
During the development of the MAXX concept, safety was just as important as versatility. Along with the stable aluminum structure, a driver airbag and anti-lock braking are integral features of the vehicle's safety system. The same goes for the 35-liter fuel tank located between the wheels, the extruded aluminum structure enclosing the rear, and the deformable front structure.
Another important objective was environmental compatibility. Aluminum is not only easy to recycle, it also allows lower weight. The MAXX weighs only about 600 kilograms and that permits additional energy savings - Opel's engineers predict an average fuel consumption with a "3" before the decimal point.
This is made possible both by the engines intended for the design study, as well as by the light-weight construction. While the concept offers a platform for alternative power sources, initial plans are for three or four-cylinder, four-valve engines with a power output between 22 kW/30 hp and 37 kW/50 hp.
While no immeadiate production is planned a driveable prototype will take to the road soon".
For me the car looked pretty, but the proposed DTM version which was drawn in the brochure among other versions were outrageous.
And an image about the car:
And the other vehicle which stopped the visitors:
Go back to the Geneva page!
Copyright March 1995.
Paul Negyesi