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.
