The Cruze is Chevy's new compact to be built in Lordstown

[jwight]

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

The Cruze is Chevy's new compact to be built in Lordstown
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Robert Schoenberger
Plain Dealer Reporter

Chevrolet's upcoming compact car to be built in Lordstown will be called the Cruze.

Set for production at the Ohio assembly plant in mid-2010 as a 2011 model, the Cruze will replace the Cobalt now built there.

Chevrolet isn't sharing many details about the new Cruze, except that it will debut in October at the Paris Motor Show.

The company said the new vehicle will be about 15 feet long, almost identical to the Cobalt. But GM said the Cruze will make better use of its interior space, offering more room for five passengers and cargo.

Last month, GM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner said the new compact would be able to get nine more miles per gallon than the Cobalt. That could mean highway fuel efficiency as high as 45 miles per gallon.

The Cruze will go on sale in Europe early next year. GM used the Cruze name from 2001 until 2005 on a compact crossover it sold in Japan and Australia. Co-developed with Suzuki, the crossover is more than 3 feet smaller than the upcoming vehicle.

Developed at GM studios in Michigan, Europe and Asia, the Cruze is one of the vehicles that the company is rushing to market to appeal to customers in the age of $4-per-gallon gasoline.

Next month, a third shift of workers will start at Lordstown to increase output of the Cobalt to the maximum. Last year, the plant produced 280,452 Cobalts and Pontiac G5s.

[jwight]

Found a link to some spy shots: 2011 Chevy Cobalt - spy shots - Autoblog

The new Cobalt replacement will be shown in October at the Paris Auto Show.

[Flashman]

Looks like any other generic chevy they've been selling for a decade. Nothing new, nothing exciting. For such a big company you'd think they would hire a designer or two to spice things up. How boring.

[Dave Van]

Does not look like anything groundbreaking thats for sure! Does it seem strange that GM copied the Chrysler PT (with the same designer)with the HHR and now has a PT like name on a car??

[jwight]

Just my .02, but if the car carries over the Malibu styling cues as the photos appear to show, and if it does earn an EPA rating of 45 mpg highway, and the big if, it sells at anywhere near current Cobalt prices, Chevy will sell all they can make.

[Karl Roth]

Why does GM get it to almost right and then kill it most of the time? Oh right sales.
karl