9.9.2004
View from airplane cockpit - New Astra GTC with panorama windshield

The new Opel Astra GTC with a panorama windshield creates a whole new sense of space and visibility. This innovative windshield makes its debut in a series vehicle and will be presented at the Paris Motor Show at the GTC world premiere. It offers driver and front seat passenger an almost unlimited field of vision, similar to the view from an airplane cockpit.

The optional panorama windshield seamlessly extends from the hood up into the roof as far as the B-pillar. Opel already presented a similar glass windshield-roof design in the “GTC Genève” study in the spring of 2003 at the Geneva Motor Show.

“Only flying is better – you experience your surroundings just like in the cockpit of an airplane because there is no crossbeam restricting the view,” explains Matthias Hallik, responsible for new body concepts at Opel, who had the initial idea for the panorama windshield. “This makes driving through mountains or a brightly lit city at night, for example, a really special experience.” GTC passengers enjoy these views thanks to a 1.50 meter long and, on average, 1.16 meter wide field of vision made of Solar-Protect glass, which prevents over-heating of the interior. The panorama windshield is also an eye-catcher from outside, as it flows into the adjacent steel roof, creating a visually integrated surface.