New Opel/Vauxhall Meriva Will Go For SUV Looks

Around since 2010 in the second generation, the Opel/Vauxhall Meriva will ditch

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by Cristian Gnaticov

October 29, 2016 at 13:20

Around since 2010 in the second generation, the Opel/Vauxhall Meriva will ditch its minivan styling for a crossover look once its replacement will hit the market next year.

Despite coming with an increased ground clearance and an off-roader-like design, the vehicle, which could adopt a different moniker, won’t be a true SUV, according to AutomotiveNewsEurope, as the automaker is trying to keep development costs down.

Set to be underpinned by a PSA Group platform, as part of the partnership between parent company General Motors and the French automaker, the next generation Meriva was initially designed as a minivan, but since Opel/Vauxhall couldn’t make it work on the new architecture, the plan was dropped. “We tried to do a Meriva and failed and so we said maybe this is not the right car“, CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann said.

The new Meriva will be produced at the brand’s plant in Zaragoza, Spain, along with the replacements for the Peugeot 2008 and Citroen C3 Picasso.

Following it shortly will be a compact crossover that will serve as a replacement for the Zafira MPV and Antara SUV and will be put together by PSA in Sochaux, France, alongside the 3008.