Click the Opel Meriva concept for a high res gallery

For several years GM's European operations have been offering a tiny van-like vehicle called the Meriva. The current Meriva is a pretty conventional looking tall wagon based of the B-car Corsa platform. It's now just about time for a refresh of the Meriva and Opel is showing a concept at the Geneva Motor show that is probably very close to what the next production version will look like. The look of the concept carries all the styling elements of recent Opel concepts including the scalloped side panels and the headlamp shape. One interesting design element of this concept is the rear hinged back doors. Many concepts feature so-called suicide doors because it makes it easier for viewers to the see the interior of the car when it's rotating on a show stand. When this happens though, they usually leave out the b-pillar making it totally impractical for production. In this case the b-pillar is present and the press-release even focuses on these FlexDoors. Based on this it seems likely that the new Meriva will actually feature this door design. The other big question is will we see this car in Saturn dealerships in a couple of years?


[Source: General Motors]

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One of the new concept vehicles that General Motors will debut at next month's Geneva Motor Show next month previews where GM might be headed with its Opel Meriva compact MPV. The current Meriva is a tall wagon based on Opel's B-car Corsa platform. Like the larger Zafira, the Meriva is a one-box shape and the new concept will follow that same path. The new concept picks up the design language introduced on last year's Opel GTC and Flextreme concepts (note that pronounced "hockey stick" line arcing down and back from the front fender). Perhaps as the United States' impending new CAFE regs take hold, GM will come around and start offering stylish, compact, family-oriented alternatives like the Meriva in Saturn showrooms, instead of relying on lesser variations of products already available from brand siblings like Chevy.

[Source: GM]