Opel Kadett Reborn as Retro-Modern Fastback Concept

Stellantis will arrive at the 2026 Paris Motor Show with more than 60 vehicles from eight brands, including no fewer than nine brand-new concept cars, and will occupy the event's largest stand in Hall 4 at over 5,000 square meters (53,820 sq. ft.). Opel's announced presence includes the Astra GSE Line, its SUVs Mokka, Frontera and Grandland with various powertrains, the debut of the Corsa GSE and two world premieres: the Formula E GEN4 racing car, dubbed the Opel GSE 27FE and dressed in the championship livery, plus the Opel STX concept.

Amid those official reveals, a parallel line of creativity has produced its own headline. Mike G., founder of the mike.g.concepts digital design studio, has rendered the long-retired Opel Kadett as a contemporary fastback he calls the Opel CQP. The image set, shared on Instagram, recasts the familiar silhouette for a modern audience while keeping the original's spirit intact.

A modern take on a compact icon

The Kadett name has a layered history. The small family car first appeared in 1936 but was interrupted by the Second World War. Opel revived the name with the Kadett A in 1962, offered in two-door saloon, three-door estate and coupe variants. The model found its greatest commercial success in the 1970s with the Kadett C, which sold more than 1.7 million examples over six years.

The final iteration, the Kadett D, introduced a new front-wheel drive architecture and an all-new family of engines and transmissions that later filtered down to the larger Ascona and the smaller Corsa. Opel retired the nameplate in 1984 when it consolidated the compact range under the Astra badge.

Mike G. points to that legacy as the motive behind his digital revival. He describes the Kadett C as "one of the most successful volume sellers of the 1970s, so it stands out as an ultimate candidate for a contemporary comeback." His Opel CQP keeps the coupe's defining proportions but translates them into a clean, assertive design language aimed at today's streets.

The renderings lean on retro cues while adopting contemporary details such as flush body surfacing and a pronounced fastback roofline. Seen head-on, the CQP reads like an all-electric design, yet Mike G. envisages an internal combustion core: "For performance, a punchy and efficient gasoline engine - backed by an optional hybrid setup - combined with rear-wheel drive would be the perfect match."