All-new Chevrolet Cruze features dramatic design
Detroit - The first photographs of Chevrolet's all-new Cruze sedan - making its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show in October - reveal a dynamic four-door coupe that proves exciting design and value are not mutually exclusive.
On sale beginning in Europe from March next year, Cruze features a dramatic re-interpretation of the traditional sedan featuring Chevrolet's new global design language that is becoming a signature on all new products carrying the gold bowtie.
Cruze's arching roof-line, extending from the steeply raked windshield to its sloping rear pillars and short rear deck, brings coupe-like proportions to a compact sedan.
Wider and longer than most of its competitors, Cruze has a purposeful stance with its wheels located at the outer edges of the tautly drawn bodywork. Noticeably tight body panel fits and a restrained use of exterior trim add to a high quality, 'hewn from solid' appearance.
Cruze's dramatic profile is matched by bold front styling, with large headlamp housings that wrap around the front corners and sweep up, arrow-like, into the fenders and sculpted hood. Other distinct design themes include a concave shoulder line, the two-tier grille and a "wheels-out/body-in" stance. Inside, Cruze features a 'twin cockpit' design motif, first introduced in the iconic Corvette sports car.
"Our goal in designing Cruze was to be bold, not evolutionary," says chief designer Taewan Kim. "We wanted to take a big step forward, making a strong design statement for Chevrolet products around the world."
Visitors to the Paris show will see how Chevrolet's progressive design is also reflected in the quality of Cruze's interior. The use of grained surfaces, soft-touch materials and low gloss trim panels ensures a quality ambience that echoes the clean, harmonious design of the exterior.
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.
With sales in Europe up by 23 percent for the first six months of 2008, Chevrolet is GM Europe's fastest-growing mainstream brand. The arrival of Cruze spearheads an exciting new product roll-out program that is expected to propel the brand to even greater success.
"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."
Cruze is the result of a development process harnessing GM's global expertise and is the first of a new family of compact products that will deliver world class quality. It will be backed by expected highest scores in all major crash safety ratings.
The Chevrolet Cruze will be available in Europe from March 2009, followed by other global markets with regional-specific engine choices.
http://media.gm.com/servlet/Gateway.../viewpressreldetail.do?domain=827&docid=47992
i know its says europe, but USA shouldnt be that much different...
they seem weak, but a 6 speed auto is nice
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LORDSTOWN, Ohio — General Motors will detail plans to built its 2011 Chevrolet Cruze at its Lordstown, Ohio, facility next Thursday. The announcement will include the release of the first official photos of the Cruze, which will be unveiled at the upcoming 2008 Paris Auto Show, the automaker said on Friday.
While GM did not specify in its Friday announcement that the Cruze will be built at Lordstown, industry sources confirmed for Inside Line that the small car will be built there for global consumption. The Cruze will be the "global nameplate" for the new small car, which will go on sale in Europe in spring 2009, sources said.
GM has been slowly ramping up the buzz about the Cruze. On August 12, Beth Lowery, GM's vice president of environment, energy and safety policy, told the Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Michigan, that the Cruze will get better gas mileage than the vehicle it replaces — the current Chevrolet Cobalt. "The Chevy Cruze will get an additional nine miles per gallon in fuel economy when it debuts in 2010 [versus the Cobalt]," Lowery said.
The EPA says the 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt with the 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine linked to an automatic four-speed transmission returns 24 miles per gallon in city driving and 33 mpg on the highway. The 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt XFE with the 2.2-liter four-cylinder and five-speed manual transmission returns 25 mpg in city driving and 37 mpg on the highway. Thus, the most fuel-efficient version of the new Cruze is likely to return highway mileage somewhere around the mid-40-mpg range.
The Cruze will be the first vehicle to use GM's revamped Delta 2 platform, an architecture that will be used on all GM small cars around the globe, including replacements for the Chevrolet HHR and the Opel Zafira and its siblings.
In Paris, GM will unveil a five-passenger sedan that is roughly the same size as the current Cobalt sedan.
What this means to you: The Chevrolet Cruze is about to take a major step toward reality. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
The Chevy Cruze is GMs new compact car destined to replace the Cobalt and set to debut in the US in 2010. It could be considered the combustion sister-car to the Chevy Volt.
For the US market it will use the same 1.4 L engine (only turbocharged) as the Volt does for it’s generator, and will sit on the same Delta global compact platform.
The North American version of the car is expected to achieve > 40 mpg without a hybrid powertrain, although no mention of that option has yet been made by GM.
Today the automaker released full sized photos of the car which will debut at the Paris Motor Show in October. The car will be available in Europe in March of 2009 in 1.6 L( 112 hp), 1.8 L (140 hp), and 2.0 L turbo diesel (150 hp) versions.
This car is very important for GMs future because it represents their ability to leverage a global platform across many cars and countries, allowing them to profit from the economy of scale. Also it represents a new urgency to make attractive small cars. Both issues indicative of the forced shift from profit-making trucks.
GM also announced today they will invest $500 million overall and particularly $350 million in the Lordstown, Ohio plant slotted to build the Cruze in the US. It will also be built overseas.
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