Opel Cascada: Opel’s last fabric-roof convertible

The Opel Cascada was a four-passenger fabric-roof convertible that Opel sold from 2013 to 2019. It was engineered and styled in Rüsselsheim and built in Gliwice, Poland, and the same car appeared under the Opel, Vauxhall, Holden and Buick names; 48,500 were made in total.

Opel Cascada at a glance

Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the Opel Cascada.

History of the Opel Cascada

One car, four badges

The Cascada was engineered at Opel’s International Technical Engineering Center in Rüsselsheim and styled under Mark Adams, head of Opel design, with Andrew Dyson responsible for the exterior and Elizabeth Wetzel for the interior. It debuted at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show and went on sale on 20 April 2013 with a choice of 1.4- and 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engines and a 2.0-litre diesel, all with six-speed manual or automatic gearboxes. The name comes from the Spanish word for waterfall. In Spain the car was sold as the Opel Cabrio.

The same car was marketed under four General Motors brands: Opel in Europe from 2013 to 2019, Vauxhall in Britain from 2013 to 2018, Holden in Australia and New Zealand from 2014 to 2017, and Buick in the United States and China from 2016 to 2019. The Buick version needed more than 600 changes to meet American safety and comfort rules, and was the brand’s first factory convertible since the 1991 Reatta.

Built for touring

The Cascada was designed for comfortable year-round touring rather than sportiness. It used GM’s Delta II platform, shared with the Astra J, and much of that car’s instrument panel. Standard equipment across the range included an electric parking brake, sport seats, French stitching on the dashboard, DAB radio, automatic lights and wipers, cruise control and a seven-inch Intellilink infotainment system. The optional front seats were certified by the German back-health panel Aktion Gesunder Rücken, with six-way movement, pneumatic lumbar support, a 60 mm cushion extender and 280 mm of fore-and-aft travel. Where leather was fitted it used the Bayer Cool Leather system, whose dyes and pigments reflect solar infrared and keep the surface up to 20–30 °C cooler.

The end of the line

Cargo space was 380 litres with the roof raised and 280 litres with it folded, and each half of the 50/50 split rear seatback could be dropped by its own control from the open boot, a system Opel called Flexfold. Because the tail lights sit entirely on the boot lid, a second set inside the boot stays visible when the lid is up. The Cascada was developed while General Motors was in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and it appeared as the convertible market shrank sharply. In February 2019 GM confirmed the end, after Groupe PSA, which had bought Opel in 2017, said it would not continue production. Assembly ended on 28 June 2019, with the last car built for the United States.

Design and features

• Fabric roof, four seats: a 2+2 convertible built for year-round touring.
• Astra J platform: Delta II underpinnings and much of the Astra’s dashboard.
• Flexfold boot: each half of the split rear seatback drops by its own control.
• Cool leather: Bayer pigments that reflect infrared and keep the seats cooler in the sun.

Opel Cascada versions

• Opel Cascada (2013–2019): the European version.
• Opel Cabrio: the name used in Spain.
• Vauxhall Cascada (2013–2018): the British version.
• Holden Cascada (2014–2017): Australian and New Zealand car with a Launch edition.
• Buick Cascada (2016–2019): American and Chinese version with a 200 hp 1.6.

The Cascada was built on the platform of the Astra and replaced the Astra Twin Top in the range. More cars are in the Opel collection.

Sources

• Opel Cascada, English Wikipedia: production, markets, equipment, end of production