Primed to Take the Market: 2010 Chevrolet Cruze

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Chevrolet Cruze , a new sedan and hatch which will replace the current Chevy Cobalt in North America, has been spotted testing in Europe recently. As well as replacing the Cobalt in North America, it replaces the Daewoo built Lacetti/Nubira in Europe.  Due out this year as a 2010 model, the Cruze will be sold in Europe keeping the old naming style as a Chevrolet Nubira and in Asia as the Daewoo Lacetti.  

The rollout begins in Europe, where the Cruze will begin production early in 2009 for sale in the spring as a 2010 model. North America must wait until a mid-2010 start of production at the Lordstown, Ohio, plant that makes the Cobalt and G5. It will be sold as a 2011 model in the U.S.

Spy Shots

The latest spy shots reveal GM's new two-tiered grille design, as well as a chunky profile and high waistline for the next Cobalt. The now-familiar two-tier Chevy grille dominates the front end, and the body side is delineated by a sharp bone line rising to the rear below a twisting concave surface that hints of current BMW 5-series. The trunk is well hidden, but the logical extension of the body side treatment suggests a raised central section and mild shoulders over rear wheel openings.

The Cruze introduces a turbocharged 1.4L petrol engine that GM plans to manufacture in the U.S. Variations of this engine, including larger 2.0L and 2.4L units, are expected to feature into several other GM vehicles such as the upcoming Buick LaCrosse and possible even the new Chevrolet Camaro.

The five-passenger sedan is 180 inches long, continues to wear a bowtie, and slots between the subcompact Chevrolet Aveo and the mid-size Chevy Malibu in the lineup. The Cruze will be powered by GM's new family of direct-injection, turbocharged four-cylinder engines, likely ranging in displacement from 1.4 liters to 2.0. The expectation is about 40 mpg, or better.

Global Compact Vehicle Architecture

When put into production, this will be the first look at vehicles from the new Global Compact Vehicle Architecture or Delta 2, which is a more global, lower-cost alternative to the current Delta platform underpinning the Cobalt and Pontiac G5. The Delta platform is slated to eventually appear on future models of the next generation Opel (Saturn) Astra and the Chevrolet Volt EV model Hybrid. More than just new hardware, the global compact vehicle architecture represents a new approach to product development for GM.

The global compact vehicle architecture will replace five GM small car architectures worldwide by 2014, generating huge cost savings in materials and product development. One of the key attributes of the architecture is its high degree of dimensional flexibility, which allows GM to build vehicles as diverse as coupes and crossovers on the same assembly lines using many of the same parts.

Not only will the global compact vehicle architecture enable GM to get more products to market more rapidly -- company insiders hint more than 30 new models will be launched worldwide off the architecture in just four years -- but it allows easier sharing of power trains and other advanced technologies. 

This is great news for GM. With the market suffering as it is there is a boom in small car sales. The average consumer cannot afford to drive large, oversized, gas guzzler vehicles while trying to keep food on the table. It just doesn't make sense. That being said, the Cobalt is likely to be even more of a major player in the U.S. market than originally planned. GM now has the ability to rapidly expand the Cobalt range to include hatchbacks and crossovers if customers demand, and easily install diesel engines and other gas-saving technologies such as electric power steering.

Hatchback to the Future

While initial plans called only for a sedan, spy reports have confirmed hatchback versions will be added in Europe and will eventually find their way to North America. European media are reporting the Cruze will be sold simultaneously with the Lacetti sedan, five-door hatch, and wagon, for about 18 months before the older car is phased out. In the U.S., expect a similar scenario whereby the current Cobalt is offered as a 2009 model through June 2010, and is built alongside the 2011 Cruze in Lordstown until the Cobalt is phased out.

Public clamoring for small cars suggest the Cruze should have a ready market, and prove more successful than the last Cruze GM introduced. Read here for Chevy's press release on the Cruze. The name was last applied to a compact hatchback at the 2001 Tokyo auto show, where it was the first  Japanese-built GM vehicle for the Japanese market in many years. With increased fuel economy and a market that is primed and ready for a new small car offering, with style and features to match. The Chevrolet Cobalt's replacement, the 2010 Cruze is sure to make an impact. Read a history of the Cobalt for a look back at past models.