New Opel Meriva Production Prototype Spied in Finland

Since last December we have seen Opel Meriva prototypes wearing the shortened body of an Opel Zafira sporting a new rearward opening door system. And now, just last week in Geneva, the Opel Meriva Concept had its world premier showcasing this new Flexdoor system.

Certainly, the road going production version will be simplified and lose its flashy concept design cues, but overall, what you see in the concept is what will come to market and that includes the Flexdoor system. Here are first photos of a prototype in production form as it performs cold-weather testing on a privately owned testing area here in northern Finland. But don't let the fake rear door handle fool you, as it's intended to fool observant eyes as well as peering camera lenses.

With tough competition in the European mini MPV segment, Opel needed a unique feature to set itself apart. The Flexdoor system is not only cool looking when both doors are open but makes entering and exiting the rear seats easier, especially, for parents loading infants and toddlers. The new Meriva is expected to go on sale in the summer of 2009.