In the glorious country that is the United States of America, we have an interesting and ineffective way of naming our favorite vehicles. It seems every magazine - and sometimes states - gets to name their favorite car of the year. While this can be great for the automaker’s advertising, it can confuse the public just a tad. What car is better here, the winner of Magazine A or Magazine B?
In Europe, things go a bit smoother. Seven different publications from seven different countries pick what they think is the best car of the year. It takes a few months, but in the end you get one winner, which was the Opel Insignia last year.
If those are the choices, we choose the Alfa. The Volvo puts up a strong case, but nothing compares to that Italian soul and passion. Despite our pick, we doubt the jurors will feel the same.
So which vehicle do you think deserves to be Car of the Year? Hit us up in the comments section below.
The advent of 3D technology has spurned a new wave of marketing and advertising efforts that are centered on making products a tad more realistic to the eye. And what better way to do that to have the public sport on a pair of 3D glasses to watch a three-dimensional commercial.
Without these glasses, however, Opel’s new Meriva crossover commercial is nothing more than your average advertisement, except for the fact that it’s got red and blue hues all over it. Not exactly the kind of commercial you’d want to see when you’re sporting a massive headache. However, if you can cop a pair of 3D glasses - you can even make one if you’re that desperate - then you’re going to enjoy this commercial, which seems to put as much face time on the Meriva as it does on all the 3D-ness it comes with. Either way, 3D’s a brand new advertising approach that hasn’t been done a whole lot before. Knowing how technology works these days, this Opel Meriva 3D commercial just may be the first of new armada of 3D commercials that will hit your TVs and computers.
The German car builder Opel will unveil their second generation Meriva compact hatch in March at the Geneva Motor Show. The all new Meriva features the same design language as the larger and very successful Opel Insignia. However unlike any production Opel that came before, the new Merivia retains the trick suicide style FlexDoors that were showcased on the Meriva Concept back in 2008. Like the Lincoln Continental, the unique opening arrangement provided by the FlexDoors makes the Merivia a much more functional vehicle by making it much easier to get in and out of the rear seat with the back door opening up a full 84 degrees.
As opposed to conventional doors that only open 68 to 70 degrees, the FlexDoors are more ergonomic in the event that a front seat passenger can easily place items in the rear compartment like a jacket, briefcase or even an umbrella behind them. The 2011 Meriva will be offered with a wide range of power train options with outputs ranging from a very economical 75 HP up to 140 HP, with an ecoFLEX version to be offered as well. The Meriva’s engine will be mated to a choice of five and six speed manual transmissions as well as a smooth shifting six speed automatic. Offering a dash of fun into the compact people mover category.
UPDATE 06/29/2010: Check out the new 3D commercial for the Opel Meriva after the jump.
The Opel Meriva Concept was unveiled two days ago at the Geneva Motor Show. At the unveiling GM announced that new small hatchback could be included in the Saturn lineup in the United States.
The Opel Meriva is a four-seat, front-wheel-drive hatchback intended to replace the current Meriva, a top seller in Europe. The concept car unveiled here is built on a derivative of two of GM’s small-vehicle architectures.
Kempf declined to comment on whether the car would be the basis for a future small car for Saturn. Saturn now shares several products with Opel — including the newest car to Saturn’s lineup, the compact Astra.
GM executives familiar with Saturn’s lineup say the vehicle is being considered for the United States. But GM first must assess whether a business case can be made to bring a hatchback to the United States, where hatchbacks typically have not been big sellers.
Jon Lauckner, GM’s vice president of global program management, says, " 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."
