Opel Meriva could be sold as Saturn

GM’s European division Opel unveiled a compact MPV concept at this week’s Geneva Motor Show in the form of the new Meriva, which latest reports claim could one day arrive in North America as a Saturn. The Meriva is a four seater MPV with a unique ‘flex-door’ design (essentially a pair of rear-opening suicide doors) and it’s set to go into production late next year as a replacement for the current Meriva.

Unlike the current model, the new concept is built on a derivative of two of GM's global small-vehicle architectures, which means this time ‘round it could be sold outside of Europe. According to Automotive News, GM officials are assessing whether a business case can be made to bring a small European model to North America and one of these cars could be the next-gen Meriva.

One of the main reasons the car could cross the Atlantic is because of new CAFE regulations forcing carmakers to lift fleet-average mileage figures to 35mpg by 2020. GM, like most other carmakers in the U.S., is desperate for smaller and more fuel-efficient vehicles in its lineup and one of the easiest ways to fill the gap is to import current models from Europe.

However, Jon Lauckner, GM's vice president of global program management, told reporters that "these vehicles have a role in the European market because there is not a big crossover segment there. In the U.S., it's a different story."

Opel Meriva Concept