Opel design boss talks GSE and influence of engineering

Performance editions of established models are opportunities to go a little further and elevate certain elements either for genuine functional reasons — improved downforce, braking, cornering etc. — or to at least imply that those ingredients have been added. Opel's stand at the 2025 IAA had both a production and concept car that employed that strategy to varying degrees.

The road going Mokka GSE has been beefed up slightly, whereas the radical Corsa GSE concept sports videogame proportions. That's fitting, because that's exactly what it has been designed for: Gran Turismo 7. Importantly, it is more than a digital model and on the show floor stood out as a display of overt bodywork and details informed by engineering. 

Mark Adams, VP of design for Opel and its UK equivalent Vauxhall, was on hand for a walkaround of both, although it is the Corsa that demanded most of our attention. 

Mark Adams: It's about bringing the GSE name, but now as full electric. That's the key message. The Mokka is the ideal first car for that because even though it's a few years old now, it's still a really strong design statement and it pulls a lot of new people into the Opel and Vauxhall brand. We deliberately picked that car as the first car to launch GSE electric, and as it is built on the facelift version we've got all the latest tech before adding in the power and stance.

Car Design News: The Mokka does suit a slightly sportier aesthetic.

MA: I remember when we were developing it, I joked with the team and said, are you finally done with the sketch? It's got 20-inch wheels, has a really great stance on the road and is right on the edge of where everything should be visually.

But then at the same time, because we were launching this all electric GSE brand, we wanted to make a horizon statement and that's where the Corsa concept was born. We talked about drawing in new audiences, and the UK and Germany are the two biggest audiences for Gran Turismo videogame in Europe. 

CDN: Did you know that before you started the Corsa concept?

MA: Yeah, we studied it and realised this would be a great partnership. We had the Gran Turismo guys on the stand here earlier and they were super excited to release it in the game. So not only did we want to make this design statement, but we also deliberately picked a Corsa for obvious reasons. It's the best selling B-car in the UK and Germany. So it's the perfect fit. And it's a concept car, so of course it's on steroids.

CDN: Speaking as a Brit from the 90s, the Corsa certainly lends itself to being modified...

MA: Yeah, and we've taken it to the extreme. We explored all sorts of different and aesthetic approaches, but we very quickly settled on this idea of like the, the yin and yang: the white piece of the car is more automotive, fluid, sexy. You've still got precise lines and a bit of muscularity, but then that combines with a super high-tech chassis and all the yellow and black techie parts. Because Opel is German, we wanted to make those parts not just visual but to really underpin the function. I love this view of the scoop in the hood. Have a look down there [points to duct in hood].

CDN: You should have a sign saying "don't fall in." 

MA: I put my arm through there during the press conference to make a point. People were like, whoa, where'd his arm go? But it's functional and takes all the air from down low and manage it through the car. The splitter at the front also takes the air and manages it through the sides and directing it around the cabin. You've got these huge wheels sticking out — it almost looks like a parachute — but when you manage the airflow down the side, you fill in the gaps.

CDN: Do you enjoy doing these kind of projects where engineering is so clearly involved and on show?

MA: Oh, yeah. Making it have a real purpose is so cool. The rear is my favourite view of the car in this sense. It is a mega statement where the diffuser and spoiler actually extend. We've really played with the graphics and elements to really work with the functionality. [Someone on the stand is clearly tuned in, and activates the system bang on cue].

The car is a Corsa in length, but it certainly isn't a Corsa in width. We're trying to create an even stronger stance

CDN: It's very Pike's Peak in a way.

MA: It's purposeful. It's doing something for a reason. And then with our compass light signature, which I've talked about now for a couple of years, we feel it adds an element of distinction. This was also very much born out of our history. If you look at our cars from the 60s through to now, we've always had that centre crease in the hood; we've taken that and illuminated it. It's not just a case of saying "oh, that looks cool." It was done with 60 years of history in mind, using modern technology to enable it. When you have stories and design details with roots in history, but not retro cues, it clearly links to what we've done in the past.

CDN: How wide is the rear track? It almost has that exaggerated Countach look to it.

MA: Oh, yeah. We've obviously extended the track. The car is a Corsa in length, but it certainly isn't a Corsa in width. It's a very square footprint; I think it's just below two meters. We were trying to create an even stronger stance and that's really important for stability.

CDN: You've got the visible suspension linkages as well, which is quite fun.

MA: Exactly. And that's another little detail from history that we just pulled into the car. If you look back at our old race and rally cars there was a really nice detail that I loved: a cooling slot in the hood that was made up of these triangles. They were very iconic on the Calibras and touring cars, so I asked the team to explore that a little bit and see how we can use that graphically in the concept. You can see that even the roll cage has this triangulated element, and when you have that high view in Gran Turismo, the whole spoiler and the graphic on the roof is this triangle. Again, it's just a little nod to that history of our racing credentials in a purposeful, modern way.

CDN: Is there a bit of a metaphor there as well, in the arrowhead? Always moving forward.

MA: Yes and honestly, a triangle is the most stable shape. So it really fits with this idea that the car itself has real substance.

CDN: Was there anything that particularly challenged the team when it came to putting this together?

MA: It's always a challenge. But we don't want to do something with our show cars just because we can. It's about ensuring there's a real purpose either in communicating an idea or a specific direction. That's very much in the background when you're working on a project like this but it was a really fun project.

CDN: More broadly, how do you view being a designer in this era compared to when you first came in? 

MA: I've been in the industry now a long time. I started back in the 80s so I've seen a lot of things come and go. One thing I said to someone recently is that I'm so jealous of the tools my young guys have available to them now. When we did this car, we did the usual sketches but for each designer, I picked the car I liked, told them I wanted certain things, and then they developed their own 3D models super quickly. 

We had a lot of different designs but we could very easily look at them all in detail and say "ah, we like this, we like that; less of this, etc." in this 3D world. In my day it was much more difficult because you had to go to a clay model and load up from there. So the speed of interaction now is amazing. I love the dynamism and the environment of designing cars today. But some of the things I still think are really important — things that we did in the old days — are tape drawings. It is about discipline, doing things tight and structured, and that gives you a certain touch and feel that is tough to replicate. 

CDN: I had a go at doing some tape on clay. It's not so easy.

MA: It's isn't is it. So again, I love the world we're in today and I think you're right, design is the big differentiating element now, particularly as we move even more so into electrification. It's a very exciting period and you can tell from me: I've been in this business for a long time, but I'm still super enthusiastic.