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Opel is showing off its new Vivaro van, ahead of an on-sale launch in October of this year.
With the takeover of Opel by the French PSA Group, this time around the Vivaro is platform sharing with the Peugeot Expert and the Citroen Dispatch. Previously, the Vivaro had been built as part of a platform-sharing agreement with Renault and Nissan, and more than one-million have been built since the model was launched in 2001.
From October, you'll be able to buy a Vivaro in three variants - a plain panel van; a crew-cab; and a lifestyle-oriented nine-seat 'Combi' MPV. It'll be available in three lengths - 4.6 metres, 4.95 metres, and 5.3 metres and the maximum cargo capacity will be 6.6 cubic metres.
The maximum payload has gone up by 200kg to 1,400kg while the towing weight is also up, by 500kg, to 2,500kg. Opel says that most Vivaro variants will have an overall height of 1.9 metres, making them city-centre carpark friendly, although high-roof models will be optionally available.
As with its French cousins, the Vivaro gets a clever traction control system - which Opel call's 'IntelliGrip' - which can help to maximise front-wheel traction in slippery or muddy conditions, and means that it can get in and out of tricky spots without the weight and complication of four-wheel drive.
For the first time, the Vivaro gets the option of electric sliding side doors, and if you go for the longest 5.3-metre variant, then you can carry a load with a maximum length of 4.02 metres, thanks to a 'FlexCargo' layout that allows long loads to be partially loaded under the passenger seat.
On the safety front, you'll be able to specify such systems as a head up display, 180-degree rearview camera, forward collision alert, automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assistant, driver fatigue monitor, and traffic sign recognition.
Power will come from a choice of 1.5 and 2.0-litre turbo diesel engines for now, but in 2020, Opel will launch an all-electric version of the Vivaro too.