GM Releases First Chevy Cruze Photographs

At its Lordstown, Ohio plant today General Motors will be announcing a significant investment in that plant, one that will allow the automaker to bring forth one of its most important cars — the subcompact Chevrolet Cruze. Announced earlier this summer, the Cruze represents the direction the automaker is going with its small cars, one that could help GM (particularly Chevrolet) improve its entry level presence in the US.

General Motors has revealed the first images of the Chevrolet Cruze, an entry-level model that will replace the Cobalt.

Though the pictures show a 2011 model, the Cruze will be on sale in Europe starting next March as a 2010 model. Visitors to next month’s Paris Auto Show will see the pre-production model. The car will go on sale in the US in early 2010 as a 2011 model.

Europe gets to see the Cruze first at next month's Paris Auto Show. The first production cars will be sold in March 2009 for the European market; stateside delivery will begin in 2010.

Chevrolet is the fastest growing brand in Europe with sales up 23% year to date over last year. “We are proud that Europe is leading the introduction for this global product,” said Wayne Brannon, Executive Director, Chevrolet Europe. “Chevrolet has always stood for expressive value and Cruze delivers on that promise like never before. It further redefines Chevrolet with its design, quality, materials and great style inside and out. The fit and finish for gaps and interfaces sets a new standard for this segment in Europe and around the world.”

At launch in Europe, Cruze will be available with 16-valve, 1.6-liter (112 hp/82 kW) and 1.8-liter (140 hp/103 kW) gasoline engines featuring variable valve timing (VVT) on both inlet and exhaust sides, giving more power as well as better fuel economy and lower emissions. A new 2.0-liter turbo diesel, developing 150 hp/ 110 kW and 320 Nm of torque adds power with even greater frugality. Five-speed manual gearboxes and an all-new automatic transmission, Chevrolet's first six-speed application in the compact segment, complete the powertrain menu.

As with all promising new models, The Auto Writer will continue to follow the Cruze’s progress and report developments over the coming months.

Chevrolet Cruze transformed into Camaro-aping

Chevy Cruze gets the Bumblebee treatment – Click above for a high-res image gallery

The idea behind building a stunning performance car like the new Chevy Camaro is as much about selling the car itself as it is about casting a bright light on the rest of the automaker's range. The muscle car in the window may bring you into the dealership, but you're more likely to walk out with something more practical. Say, a Cruze, for example.

That's what happened with one customer in China, where the price of an imported Camaro is, according to one report at least, the equivalent of a whopping $200,000. Having apparently geeked out like the rest of us at Michael Bay's blockbuster hit Transformers, the customer looks to have fallen in love with Bumblebee like that little punk Shia LeBeouf with Megan Fox (who really should be with a certain blogger whose name starts with an "N" and ends with an "oah"), but...where were we? Oh yeah, the Chinese fan gave his Chevy Cruze the full Bumblebee treatment, which looks to have involved a bit more than just plastering on some racing stripes. Check it out in the gallery below.

Gallery: Chevrolet Cruze with Bumblebee treatment

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[Source: China Car Times I Images: Club.Sohu.com]

Tags: bumblebee, camaro, chevrolet, chevrolet bumblebee, chevrolet camaro, chevrolet cruze, ChevroletBumblebee, ChevroletCamaro, ChevroletCruze, chevy, chevy bumblebee, chevy camaro, chevy cruze, ChevyBumblebee, ChevyCamaro, ChevyCruze, Megan Fox, MeganFox, Michael Bay, MichaelBay, Shia Labeouf, ShiaLabeouf, transformers

Chevy Cruze Will Give Small-Car Buyers

During a live chat session last week on the GM FastLane blog, CEO Fritz Henderson answered questions from the media, analysts and customers.Read Article

However, he was unable to answer every question due to time constraints - one that had to deal with GM’s most significant small car, the Chevrolet Cruze.
To make sure that Fritz provided his input on the Cruze, FastLane just posted a follow-up from the big boss at GM. Several questions were asked about GM’s small-car strategy, which has recently been making headlines.
“If you haven’t heard, next year we’ll roll out an all-new compact that will surprise most customers with its terrific fuel efficiency (approaching 40 mpg highway), appealing interior design and spacious five-passenger cabin,” said Fritz.

Read Article
GM:Chevy Cruze Will Give Small-Car Buyers a Better Package Over Asian Rivals

Chevrolet Cruze photo gallery 2011

Chevrolet's all-new Cruze compact goes on sale in Europe in March 2009 as a 2010 model, with engine options including 112 horsepower 1.6 and 150 hp 1.8 liter gasoline engines as well as a 150 hp 2.0 liter turbodiesel. The Cruze is expected to replace the current Cobalt, though GM has not announced a firm date for the Cruze's arrival in the US or which engines the American version will have under its hood.

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Chevrolet Cruze front view

Chevrolet Cruze front three-quarter view

Chevrolet > Chevrolet Cruze > 2011 Chevrolet Cruze

Navigation

Layout:

front-engine / FWD

Steering:

Rack & Pinion; power-assist

Suspension:

Front: MacPherson struts; anti-roll bar

Rear: Torsion Beam

Brakes:

Front: power-assisted discs

Rear: power-assisted drums

Engines & Transmissions

Type:	Inline-4 turbocharged;
Valvetrain:	DOHC 4-valves/cyl.; variable valve timing
Displacement:	1,364
Power [hp]:	140
Torque [lb-ft]:	148
Type:	Inline-4;
Valvetrain:	DOHC 4-valves/cyl.; variable valve timing
Displacement:	1.8L
Compression Ratio:	na
Power [hp]:	138
Torque [lb-ft]:	na
Transmissions:
Type:	6-speed manual
Type:	6-speed automatic

2009 Meet Brian Deese, the 31-year-old in charge of breaking up GM

Many of us ABers being in our early- to mid-30s, we're less amazed that another of our ilk has risen to a decisive government position. We are, after all, a generation on the rise. The surprising part about Brian Deese's story is that he's been instrumental in shaping the Obama administration's moves to save General Motors, and this is his first official tour of duty in Washington. What qualifies a guy who hasn't even finished his Yale Law degree to steer President's automotive task force around? From what's been said about Mr. Deese, his quick ability to boil down the often competing economic and political aspects of any given issue.

Deese piped up in favor of Fiat's rescue of Chrysler, pointing out with a memo that a fire sale of the ailing automaker would send unforseen ripples out into the economy as a whole. Speaking out in such an influential manner is definitely unusual considering Deese doesn't appear to be an auto enthusiast or business propeller-head with his nose buried in studies and reports about the car industry. A childhood spent in the Boston suburb of Belmont, Massachusetts under the parentage of a college professor an an engineer, Deese did his undergraduate time at Middlebury College in Vermont before heading to Washington to work for Nancy Birdsall on international aid. A turn with former Clinton policy wonk Gene Sperling before the move to Yale, Hillary Clinton's bid for nomination brought Deese back to DC. With friends in Washington, Deese found himself hooked into the Obama team, and from there he's been running busily around our nation's capital.

If General Motors can successfully navigate Chapter 11, we'll all get to see just how well Brian Deese has done digesting the thorny chestnut that is saving our domestic auto industry.