Opel Releases New Photos of the 2010 Meriva Small MPV Including First Shots of the Interior

It won't be long before we see the new Opel Meriva with its rear suicide doors in the flesh as the 2010 Geneva Salon is just around the corner, but to keep consumer and media interest alike on the boil, Opel went ahead and released a new batch of photographs of the small MPV that include the first shots of the interior.

If you have ever sat in or even seen the cockpit of the new Opel Astra or the Insignia a.k.a. the 2011 Buick Regal in North America, then the Meriva's dashboard styling will look very familiar.

Being a model that is aimed at a somewhat younger crowd, the Meriva does get more trendy color options and upholstery patterns as well as some unique design cues like the styling of the air vents, but other than that, an Astra driver will feel right at home.

Aside from the rear doors that are hinged at the back opening to almost 90 degrees, the second generation of the Meriva also gets an improved Flexspace seating system that allows the rear seats to be mounted back independently to create more boot, leg or shoulder room, or folded down completely optimal cargo-carrying flexibility.

New for the Meriva is the so-called FlexRail lower center console concept between the seats that provides adaptable storage for a variety of everyday items from handbags and magazines to iPods, CDs and tissue boxes for both the front and rear passengers.

Other new features include the optional, full panorama sunroof that's almost two-meters long and the FlexFix bicycle carrier that slides in and out of the rear bumper like a drawer making

The new Meriva will be offered with a total of six turbocharged diesel and gasoline units with outputs ranging from 75 to 140 horsepower.

Lotus Reveals New Evora Cup Racer with 400 Horsepower V6

Having already launched the road-going Evora 2+2 mid-engined sports car, Lotus has now turned its focus on the development of a competition version that will be eligible for racing in the FIA GT4 category and a special one-make Evora Cup series.

Finished in Epsom Green with a Solar Yellow stripe down the centre, the Evora Cup racing car is powered by a modified version of the stock model's Toyota sourced 276HP 3.5-liter V6 engine enlarged to 4.0-liters. The result is more than 400HP and 400Nm of peak torque.

The mid mounted V6 engine is mated to a Cima six speed sequential paddle shift dog gearbox, designed for international motor sport.

Other tweaks include adjustable motor sport dampers and six piston front brake callipers, with two piece aluminium belled brake discs, while the car also gets electrical cut off, fire extinguisher and traction control.

Lotus says that it has managed to reduce the car's weight to 1,200 kg (2,645 lbs) or 200kg (440 pounds) less than the production model by using numerous high performance parts and materials and deleting parts not required for motor sport.

In addition, the Evora gets a Dallara developed aero package that includes a number of updated carbon fibre parts and is said to significantly improve downforce and cooling.

The British firm said that the final design and specifications of the Lotus Evora Cup Racer will be presented at the Geneva Motorshow in early March 2010.

First Promo Video for Alfa Romeo's New Giulietta Sport Hatch

The countdown for the official world premiere of the new Alfa Romeo Giulietta at the Geneva Salon in the beginning of March has already began, so the Italians have started working on the promotion of their Ford Focus sized sporty hatch. To our knowledge, this is the first advert for the Giulietta to find its way on the web, but don't get too excited as the film is all talk, no action... Hit the jump to watch the video or click here for the most recent photos of Alfa's five-door hatchback model.

New Opel Meriva MPV Spotted Out in the Open

True, GM's European arm has officially revealed the new Opel Meriva but we couldn't pass the opportunity to share with you these 'real-life' photographs of the small MPV that was bagged by our man with the long lens in Germany. You can read the full story on the 2010 Meriva here, but as a reminder, Opel's Citroen C3 Picasso rival that features rear-hinged back doors will make its first public outing at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

At launch, it will be marketed with six engines offering a power bandwidth from 75 HP to 140 HP and a choice of 5 and 6-speed manual transmissions (depending on the engine) as well as a 6-speed automatic gearbox

According to Opel, fuel consumption has been reduced by an average of 15 percent compared with the current generation Meriva.

Designed and developed at Opel's engineering center in Rüsselsheim, Germany, the new Meriva will be built at GM's plant in Zaragoza, Spain and is scheduled to go on sale across Europe this summer.