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New Meriva goes on sale this summer

Thursday, 14 January 2010

Opel’s new Meriva will arrive on Irish markets this summer. The car boasts innovative rear-hinged rear doors to increase visual impact while improving access to the rear cabin. Unlike the few well-known rear-hinged doors systems available, the full-size FlexDoors do not require the front doors to be opened first; they operate independently, and open up to a wide 84 degrees, much wider than conventional doors. A conventional B-pillar makes this independent opening possible, while ensuring excellent body rigidity and side impact protection. In addition, it has a handle that further facilitates entry and exit. FlexDoors also provide greater safety, especially for young families. Parents can reach into the rear seat more easily to help with buckling up, and children can be more safely guided when getting in and out of the vehicle. For example, when both the front and rear doors are open at the same time a safety zone is created as both child and parent can get out of the car without a door separating them, reducing the risk of children stepping out into traffic. Additionally, they are supported by an array of patented locking systems designed to optimize safety.  FlexDoors add style to increased functionality. Stepping in and out of the vehicle not only feels much more natural, it looks cool and elegant, as it’s no longer necessary to twist or slide out of the rear seat. The new Meriva also raises the bar for on-board flexibility. Its FlexSpace seating system has been further developed to be even more intuitive and easier to use, featuring great interior storage space enhanced by the revolutionary FlexRail console system, consisting of exchangeable storage units that can slide on rails located between the front seats, providing convenient and adaptable storage for any kind of use. Meriva is also available with Opel’s exclusive FlexFix system – the integrated rear bicycle carrier that is stored like a drawer under the luggage compartment. The Meriva’s trademark flexibility is enhanced by expressive exterior and interior styling that carries forward. Its silhouette is fluid, elegant and dynamic. The rear window line features a distinctive wave accentuating the rear-hinged FlexDoors, while also improving the view for rear seated passengers, particularly children. “With the Zafira Flex 7 and the Meriva’s FlexSpace seating concepts, we invented a new kind of fully integrated, on-board flexibility,” said Alain Visser, Vice President Sales, Marketing and Aftersales for Opel. “With the new Meriva, we wanted to engineer the new versatility champion in the motor industry. I don’t see any other car offering so many ideas that make one’s life easier.” Up front, the generously proportioned seats are similar to those of the new Astra and Insignia. They offer a class-leading range of adjustment – 240 mm forwards/backwards and 65 mm in height – allowing people of all size and age to find optimal comfort for their journeys.  Designed and developed at Opel’s engineering centre in Rüsselsheim, Germany, and their Research and Development centre in Dudenhofen, new Meriva is scheduled to go on sale this summer.