Opel designers have secretly tucked away their Easter eggs in the shape of small sharks in various spots in the interior. In models such as the Adam, Corsa, Astra, Insignia and Zafira, the formidable fish have more or less covertly been making their rounds for years – and now they have also infiltrated the SUV newcomers Crossland X and Grandland X.
Opel fans can go on an exciting shark hunt in seven models from Rüsselsheim. Easter bunnies are out, and Easter sharks are in.
But what started the hidden sharks’ massive popularity at Opel more than one decade ago? Let’s take a quick look back at the long path from the ocean into the car.
It all began one Sunday afternoon in 2004 when Opel designer Dietmar Finger was at home working on a sketch for the new Corsa. More precisely, he was considering the rather unspectacular outer panel of the glovebox, which is invisible most of the time because it’s completely covered by the closed passenger door. However, when the glovebox is opened, this panel must ensure its stability – which it does with ribs integrated in the plastic surface.
Dietmar’s job was to design the shape of the ribs, which is what he was doing when his son walked up to him, looked at his sketch and said, “Papa, why don’t you just draw a shark?” “Indeed, why not!” thought the designer, and he gave the ribs the shape of a shark! And so an idea and a culture was born.
The next day he showed his shark to the Corsa chief designer at the time, Niels Loeb, who was immediately sold on the idea. The shark in the glovebox went into series production and the ‘Opel Shark’ success story was on its way.
Next came the Zafira, where Karim Giordimaina, then in charge of the interior design, hid three sharks within the compact van’s cockpit. More sharks were then given a permanent home, first in the bold Adam lifestyle hatchback, followed by the current generation of the best-selling Astra and the Insignia flagship.
For today’s director of interior design Karim Giordimaina, the shark has become an important identifying feature of Opel over the years, and not just in the glovebox.
“Journalists ask us where the sharks are when we present new models. I always encourage our designers to hide sharks in the interior in all new designs. Because these small but sweet Easter eggs stand for what distinguishes Opel – we are passionate about every detail of our interiors, fanatic in our pursuit for quality, but always in a fun, approachable way!” 
