With all the focus on small cars and fuel economy, there’s some good news for sporty and performance minded individuals looking for a GM product that suits their desires. In an online web chat GM’s new North American president Mark Reuss made some exciting comments about the potential introduction of both a Chevy Cruze Coupe and a RWD sedan based on the Australian Zeta architecture.

“2 door Cruze is a nice idea, and it may show up in the global market,” said Reuss. “As we have 2 door Cobalts currently, NA [North America] would naturally look at a Cruze 2 door, but I believe our small car portfolio will be WAY beyond what it is now, so a 2 door something still is needed.”

This really comes as no surprise, as Chevy has often delivered a coupe model shortly after the sedan.

Next up, Reuss made a surprising remark when asked if a rear-wheel drive sedan based on the Australian Zeta platform could eventually make its way state-side. “Quite possibly,” he remarked, something which is sure to be celebrated by those who bemoaned the demise of the Pontiac G8. Currently, the only Zeta platform model available in the U.S. is the Camaro, although some reports have suggested a next-generation Camaro could ride on a more adaptable Zeta architecture that could also be used for a North American sedan.

If Chevy does decide to move ahead with a rear-drive sedan for the North American market, it’s not likely to arrive for several more years. By then, the Cruze Coupe will most certainly be on the market and perhaps even a high-performance Cruze model.

[source]

LORDSTOWN – Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland joined General Motors North America President Mark Reuss and other state and regional leaders today to announce the creation of 1,200 jobs through the addition of a third shift at GM’s Lordstown plant to support the production of the new 2011 Chevrolet Cruze.

“I’m proud to celebrate the creation of 1,200 new Ohio jobs and the resilience of the working men and women of the Mahoning Valley. The chips were down but we never gave up,” Strickland said. “That grit and steely determination is why I love this valley and why I believe in Ohio.

“The economic impact of GM’s investment will benefit the people of this region and communities throughout Ohio: GM’s Defiance Foundry will build engine blocks for the Cruze. GM’s Parma Metal Center will stamp dozens of components for the Cruze. GM’s Toledo Powertrain Center will produce transmissions and numerous suppliers in the Mahoning Valley and across the state will contribute parts for the Cruze,” Strickland said.

“Born in Ohio, built by Ohioans, the Cruze will become synonymous with Ohio. And that’s fitting because it reflects the innovation and resilience of the people of Ohio.

“It’s a great day in Ohio. Because GM is making a little automotive history in Ohio today. And Ohioans are going to be making a new kind of car for years and years to come,” Strickland said. “We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with GM and the Lordstown community to keep auto manufacturing strong in Ohio.”

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan also released the following statement:

“President Obama and Congress made the unpopular but necessary decision to take partial ownership of General Motors and guide it through bankruptcy. This bold step may have saved manufacturing in the United States from being wiped out,” Ryan said. “As a result of that leadership, not only were the Mahoning Valley and Northeast Ohio community spared an economic catastrophe, we now stand to reap the benefits of those tough decisions. I commend the workers at the GM Lordstown plant for their leadership and maturity. Without their skills, talents and positive attitude, this day would have never come.

“I would like to thank Governor Strickland for his constant attention to the Mahoning Valley and the 17th Congressional District. His input and guidance have been instrumental in not only this project, but in every one of our economic successes over the past few weeks.

“I would also like to commend Senator Sherrod Brown for his powerful voice on behalf of our domestic manufacturing base. The American auto-industry has no better friend in the Senate.

“It’s clear that our local economic development strategy is working: another 1,100 high-paying jobs in Lordstown, corporate investment of $650 million and 350 permanent jobs at V&M Star, 500 more jobs expected at VXI in downtown Youngstown, a San Francisco technology company bringing up to 100 jobs to the Youngstown Business Incubator in the next two years, and Severstal Steel returning to work in Warren. I believe that this is the beginning of the Miracle on the Mahoning,” Ryan said.

Ohio and GM are continuing to move forward on important investments for our state. Last week Governor Strickland joined GM officials at the Powertrain Plant in Defiance to announce a $59 million investment that will support the production of the next generation fuel efficient Ecotec engine while creating about 80 new jobs.

And, on Feb. 8, the governor announced that the Defiance plant was awarded a $518,232 industry efficiency grant through Ohio’s State Energy Program, funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The award will help fund new equipment that will save energy, reduce raw material consumption, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and allow the facility to be more competitive by reducing its overall annual costs by $515,013.

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Chevy Cruze SS, Anyone?

GM also Considering “Four-Door Coupe” Model in Effort to “Sport Up” Compact Lineup

February, 2010

Chevrolet is looking at two ways to “sport up” General Motors’ Delta compact platform. The more radical idea involves all new, “four-door coupe”-style sheetmetal on the same platform as the 2011 Chevy Cruze compact. The car would retain the Cruze’s wheelbase, but with a more rakish roofline that would sacrifice some back seat space for a more expressive design.

The idea would be to get a higher profit-margin car out of a relatively humble platform. It’s comparable to what Mercedes-Benz did with its CLS four-door coupe — a car that essentially raised the retail price of an E-Class-based car to near S-Class levels. A Cruze-based four-door coupe would theoretically serve as a step up toward the Camaro.

The more practical solution would be a Super Sport version of the Cruze. That entails suspension mods, of course, plus requisite trim upgrades and a high-pressure version of the 2.0-liter turbo along the lines of the 260-horsepower unit that powered the Pontiac Solstice GXP/Saturn Sky Redline and the coming 255-horsepower Buick Regal GS.

Both the four-door coupe and the Cruze SS could take the larger Epsilon platform’s all-wheel-drive system to mitigate torque steer. We’re not likely to see the SS earlier than the ‘13 model year; the four-door coupe would take even longer. But of course, before either of them hits Chevy dealers, the priority is to do a high fuel-mileage Cruze XFE.

[source]

Honeywell said that it’s turbo technologies designed for small gasoline engines (1.4L), will be launched in GM’s Chevy Cruze in the US. It is expected to reach up to 4-6% penetration in all US light vehicle sales by 2014.

The GM 1.4L engine is equipped with Honeywell’s gasoline turbocharger technology, which incorporates new enhancements in bearing technology and aerodynamics suited for small gasoline engines.

According to the company, the turbo growth is linked in US to CAFE standards which require fuel economy improvements of around 40% in light vehicles by 2016. Overall, turbo penetration is expected to reach 25% by the year 2014, up from 5% in 2009, driven mostly by the growth in gasoline engine.

Alex Ismail, president and CEO of Honeywell Transportation Systems, said: “Thanks to a turbo’s unique ability to increase the performance output of smaller displacement engines, a downsizing revolution is underway in the US and around the world.

“Over the next 10 years, this mega trend will see average engine displacement in the US reduce from 3.6L to 2.9L moving from V8 and V6 engines to 4 cylinders a major reflection of this trend being high volume growth in smaller, 4-cylinder turbocharged passenger cars of around 1.4L. As the world’s leading turbo manufacturer, we are well positioned to benefit from the move, which will help drive greater energy efficiency and reduced emissions in the auto industry.”

Honeywell Turbo Technologies is an automotive turbocharger developer and is a business unit of Honeywell Transportation Systems, which also consists of consumer products group and friction materials. Honeywell Transportation Systems facilitates vehicle performance, efficiency and appearance through technologies, brands and global solutions tailored for its automotive customers.

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People buy cars they don’t need with money they don’t have to impress people they don’t like. That’s why hardly anybody in Europe is buying the Chevrolet Cruze, which has been on sale over here since last summer. It’s an affordable car that you might need but you won’t want, and which won’t impress anybody at all, because it’s just not that desirable. Allow me to explain…

The Cruze uses GM’s global Delta II platform, which is also the underpinning of the new Opel Astra as well as (in basic structure) the Chevy Volt. We Euros get Cruzes built in Korea but you in North America will have yours made in Michigan. It’s a conventional sedan, though in Europe at least, a hatchback and station wagon will follow.

The Cruze is Jetta-sized, but I’d say it looks better: less bloat, lower beltline, crisper shapes, good proportions. It manages to be both distinct and clean, with the major exception being the odd “headband” across the grille that encloses the recklessly large Chevy bow tie. If that is supposed to look sporty in a Jane Fonda, 1980’s aerobics way, it serves its purpose.

The interior is good, within the cut price idiom. For a Daewoo, the Cruze is short on depressing Korean genericness and long on generic-but-OK GM stuff, such as the standard cow’s tongue steering wheel and annoyingly deep-set instrument pods. It’s a bit fussy but not in a particularly creepy way, and I actually liked the cloth-befitted dashboard – fabric being generally preferable to dead cow. Finish and the selected plastics are quite OK.

What is really good is available space: the Cruze has plenty for four. This is more than a commuter car: I could deal with sitting in the back for hours on end and the trunk could handle all my trip luggage too (as it has a capacity of 16 cubic feet). Oddly, GM likes to stress that the trunk has indentations enabling space for two golf bags – I didn’t know that golfers were a cheap-car-buying demographic yet.

Not to forget, the Cruze has fared very well on the newest Euro-NCAP crash tests.

This is a really cheap car, so I’d gladly accept an interior that isn’t quite VW-standard if it saved me thousands. (You can get one like my tester for €15k, which is around 30% less than a comparable Jetta in Germany. And entry-level Cruzes start at €12k, which is the average price of cars that are two sizes smaller).

But some things just aren’t worth a low price. Case in point: the Cruze’s engine. The 1.8L machine produces 140HP of which I could only feel around 105 actually doing any work. And what little output it could muster produced more than its share of an unlovely noise. It’s an old-school engine that has somehow found its way into a new car, and it ruins the experience. Picture a car that feels well-made but which at highway speeds has a gruff, obtrusive, strained sound coming from its engine department: that’s what the Cruze I drove was like. (I also spent an hour in a Cruze equipped with the 110HP 1.6L engine. It’s slightly sweeter, but the sound is still gruff, and it’s so weak you have to thrash it all the time, so it’s not an alternative). Apparently the Diesels are the pick of the bunch, but they come at a steep, three-grand price premium. At a reported 25MPG, the tested 1.8L is not exactly economical either.

I didn’t like the overly snatchy brakes or the late-action clutch, either. And speaking of snatchiness, the ignition lock is snaggly.

In contrast to the engine, the Cruze’s ride and handling are perfectly acceptable in the grand scheme of things. The Chevwoo doesn’t communicate like an Euro-market Focus or cosset like a Renault Megane but it felt capable at a wide range of jobs – city, highway, high-speed (110 MPH) autobahn. The bias is definitely on comfort, but the ride-handling compromise is quite good. And wind and ride noises are pleasantly low.

But back to the engine problem: how can it be that a major car company introduces a new global model with a dud motor? Well, I’m going to speculate that this is the product of a major planning malfunction; it’s the only explanation I can think of. Somewhere along the line, somebody upstairs at GM may have realized that the Cruze had as much interior space as the poorly-packaged, larger yet cramped Opel Insignia / Buick Regal. And that it beats the similar Opel Astra on several counts – but all at a seriously lower price. How to protect the Opels from the Chevys? How to keep the Daewoo off Buick’s neck?

Instead of letting the brands fight it to the finish in the way (for instance) that VW does with Skoda, GM seems to have cheapened the Cruze by installing an obsolete engine. (Obviously, GM has some good small engines on tap; why else wouldn’t they use one? Cost can’t be that much of a factor.)

I have to tell you that it’s a personal thing for me: just as I don’t trust a man who dyes his hair, or I don’t trust a banker, or a teetotaler, I don’t trust a car maker that willingly adulterates one car in order to protect another.

Porsche did it with the 914 and with the Boxster in order to protect the 911, and thereby earned the distrust of first Setright and then Clarkson. (And just look what has happened to Porsche in the mean time). GM does it with the Cruze, so why would I buy one, or recommend it to anybody I know?

I mean, everybody makes mistakes, but to install a crummy engine in a new global car on purpose sounds like what a company would do that is trying to pull one over you. Just think of what kind of unseen short cuts they might be taking, quality-wise.

If you wanted to be generous, you could forget this possibly petty matter of trust. Instead, you could say that this is a pretty decent, useful small car that will hopefully be equipped with a much better engine when it leaves North American factories next year. But as it is right now, there are around a dozen better cars on the market, most made by trustworthier companies.

[Editor's Note: The US-spec 2011 Cruze will offer an available 1.4 liter turbocharged engine in addition to the 1.8 liter base engine tested here]

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Be still your beating heart, dear reader. In recent weeks these pages have fed you repeatedly at the top table of the motoring dining room, allowing you to trough on the very finest dishes served up by both Lamborghini and Bugatti.

Today, though, we’ve found a very nice spot for you on the motoring equivalent of table 37, right next to the swing door that opens directly into the sweaty kitchens. Yep, welcome back to the real world; bet you missed us, didn’t you?

Truthfully, the all-new Chevrolet Cruze pictured here is the kind of affordable, practical car that a lot of us actually do drive in the real world. Supercars are fine if you’re hyper-wealthy, but the Cruze and its ilk are the real kings of our roads – built for and driven by the masses.

If the car looks more than a little familiar, that’s because the first-generation Cruze was formerly badged as a Lacetti and is the reasonably priced car that stars get to race around a track on Top Gear. And on that TV programme the Lacetti is the show’s stooge, the butt of a thousand jokes.

But things really don’t seem that bad at all on the second-generation model, now rebadged as a Cruze.

It is part of a vanguard of so-called “gas-friendly and gas-free” cars being rolled out by Chevrolet that also includes the eagerly anticipated Volt. As such, the Cruze is a hugely important launch for GM, pitching Chevrolet once more into a highly charged fist fight in a compact sector already crowded by the Honda Civics, Mazda3s and Toyota Corollas of this world.

With such strong competition, Chevrolet has put together a package that places the emphasis on quality, reliability and durability – all essential characteristics of a small family car designed to break the Japanese stranglehold.

Chevrolet is very excited about the way the Cruze is precisely built and it would be remiss of me not to tell you that its panel gaps are positively Germanic (and indeed Japanese) in their construction.

Styling-wise, the front grille benefits from that super-sized signature radiator that betrays its Chevrolet genes and funky wraparound headlights. An overhanging bonnet completes a well-worked nose. The car is prettiest in profile, its lines mimicking those of a coupe rather than a boxy compact. Altogether, it is a big improvement on the largely unloved Lacetti.

The standard-fit 1.8L four-cylinder powertrain is reliable and very economical too. Chevrolet claims fuel economy of 6.9L/100km, a figure that indicates American car makers are finally getting serious about mass-producing fuel-efficient cars.

This engine is mated to a six-speed and class-leading automatic transmission – the Japanese competition currently has to make do with five- and sometimes four-speed equivalents. But there’s little point in me boring you with too many performance numbers though, as the only real figure that matters in this cost-conscious sector is the price: Dh52,500 in base specification. Very competitive indeed.

And there’s more good news too. Inside you get a more spacious interior than the Civic or Corolla, and some simple, clever touches – like cup holders you can make bigger and smaller in the centre console.

Throw in a sprinkling of goodies such as a decent stereo system, power windows, cruise control, a very good air conditioning unit and a dash trimmed with faux metal inserts and the package appears to have been mixed together very nicely.

Predictably, this is all served up with the usual dollop of safety features – dual front airbags (side airbags are available as an extra cost option) and a reported five-star rating in the Euro NCAP crash safety tests.

So far so good then. The difficulties begin when the open road starts.

I’d hoped the Cruze would be honest, willing and able – the kind of everyday car Chevrolet needs to build to restore its dented reputation. Instead, the Cruze exhibited all the properties of a middle-aged middle manager: soft, a little flabby and very, very grey.

The problem is the Cruze feels like it has had the life sucked out of it by focus groups. Having been bashed by the critics for too long, Chevrolet has listened just a little bit too hard and created something far too clinical for its own good.

Where Chevrolet had led me to believe I would be stepping inside a car that would send my heart aflutter – “We believe in the human spirit. There’s nothing we can’t do. All of us. Each of us,” gushes the brochure babble – I found, instead, an utterly joyless car.

It may have perfect shut lines but the bean counters forgot to install a soul when they were doing all their complex calculations.

In fairness, it is smooth at speed and does handle reasonably well around town, while the gearbox is a little less jerky than equivalent models from other car makers, but somehow it just feel like exactly what it is: a flawed attempt to replicate the kind of car the competitors have been building for decades.

The only difference is, after years of practice, the Japanese manufacturers have worked out it’s alright to let the lunatics take over the asylum once in a while, to inject a bit of excitement back into proceedings. That’s why “zoom-zoom” is more than an empty marketing phrase on every Mazda in their range.

A precisely built car from Chevrolet? Sometimes, you should be careful what you wish for.

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You’re driving along listening to your favorite radio station and a commercial playing contains a website address you want to check out. But you can’t – or shouldn’t – be writing while driving. Wouldn’t it be great to just hit a pause button on the radio?

Now you can.

Pause and play radio is a built-in feature of the High Navigation Radio in the Chevrolet Equinox, Buick LaCrosse, GMC Terrain and Cadillac SRX as well as the Cadillac CTS Jukebox and Navigation radio, on which it debuted in 2008. Pause and play is coming soon to the new Buick Regal and Chevrolet Cruze.

Just like digital video recording at home that lets you capture live broadcasts and take a break while watching, pause and play radio lets you stop a live broadcast, record up to 20 minutes, and play it back later. It’s as simple as pushing the radio reverse button.

But say you’re listening to a football game on XM Satellite Radio, and your gas gauge is running down with the game clock. Do you risk running out of fuel to catch the end of the game?

No worries.

Before shutting off the vehicle, the driver can press the radio pause button, shut off their vehicle, get out and fill up, get back in the vehicle and start it, push the radio play button and resume listening to the game it stopped.

The content is stored on an embedded hard drive within the radio. Listeners can fast-forward and reverse playback as desired.

Not much has been reported on the Wagon variant of the Chevrolet Cruze which is engineered to
serve customers in Europe and America. The Chevrolet Cruze Estate is expected with a 2.0-liter VCDi engine and 1.8-liter petrol engine. Both automatic and manual transmission will be offered. GM is rumored to be developing hybrid technology for the Cruze for a later date.

We expect the Chevrolet Cruze station wagon to have A-Z of equipment. Work on the Cruze platform is well underway in different parts of the globe.

In Australia, Holden Special Vehicles is assessing the possibility of a sporty hatchback with track car credentials. In Korea, GM is working on a budget hatchback that will sit above the Spark in the next one year in emerging markets. We can only assume in Europe or America, GM is elongating the chassis and making cuts and adding sheet metal to the sedan to make a beautiful station wagon.

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To be able to sit among the crowd witnessing WTCC live at Guia Circuit located around the streets of Macau was a memorable and interesting experience for winners of the Chevrolet Grand Draw who thanked their lucky stars for being picked among hundreds to win the trip to the race.

One of the excited winners said it was truly an experience having to stand there listening to the roaring and screeching of the racing street machines and seeing them driving past in split of seconds and the sense of pride of a Chevy owner was even more than seeing the Chevrolet Team leading straight to checked flag.

From someone with zero interest in car racing, the trip built his interest in this particular challenging sport.

The trip, he added, had also given him the confidence of driving the Chevrolet as the race had given solid proof that the Chevrolet engine is definitely the best among the best, though initially purchasing his Chevy Captiva was totally due to the attractive promotion offered by Chevrolet Brunei dealer.

The trip had indeed changed his standpoint about the Chevrolet, yet, at the same time he noted that he had made the right choice of car as the Captiva provides him a comfortable and smooth ride, just as how it has been claimed.

Overall it was a well-organised trip for him and he gave the thumbs up to the management and officials participating in the trip comprising General Manager Jake Goh, Sales Manager Tony Leung, tops sales executives and GHK motors officials Hal and Nazree.

From the welcoming dinner that saw Chevrolet dealers from various countries to the race day and the many visits to the places of interests, it was all well taken care of and made him feel at ease being a first time visitor to Macau.

At the welcoming dinner that took place at one of the prestigious hotels, L’Arc Macau, the group also had the opportunity to get up close with the WTCC drivers and the night also saw touring car star and Chevrolet WTCC driver Nicola Larini bidding his farewell to WTCC.

The 45-year old Italian driver commented that having spent 20 seasons at the highest level in touring car racing, he intends to devote more time to his personal life and other interests, yet, he will not quit racing, his lifelong passion. He wishes not to be involved anymore in professional projects as demanding as WTCC.

Starting his career with single-seaters, spending 10 years in Formula 1 and fulfilling the dream of any Italian racer to be a Grand Prix driver for Ferrari, he has indeed become a touring car legend where he clinched the DTM (1993) and ISC (1992) titles and in major international touring car series, he had won no less than 48 race wins.

Nicola said after so many years of his life in motorsports, it is timely for him to take a different approach to racing and to give back to his family as well as to develop his other interests.

“I say goodbye to the WTCC today in Macau, but I will not quit racing altogether.

“I will continue racing, but want to be involved in projects not taking such a heavy toll on my personal life. Chevrolet and RML have been my WTCC home for the last five years, a spell of my career nearly as long as the ones I spent with Ferrari and Alfa Romeo. It has been a fantastic time that I will cherish forever in my memory. I wish to thank Chevrolet and RML for all the support received during these five years and wish them well for the future,” he said.

Well, this summed up our WTCC trip to Macau and as for me, the most memorable experience was being able to stand among the limited peoples at the grid walk and get up close with the cars and drivers.

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“Modern”, “stylish” and “surprisingly affordable” are words that have been used to describe the Chevrolet Cruze, and now those very same attributes are being transferred to the race track in a new one-make race series, announced at the Autosport Show at the NEC in Birmingham.

Of course, the Cruze is no stranger to on-track success, having already completed a season at World Touring Car level, taking its maiden victory in Marrakech before it had even arrived in showrooms.

The winning driver in that race was Brit Rob Huff, and it’s no surprise that Huff is one of the men behind the new Cruze Cup. The other is former racing driver Paul McMillan from Wisbech, Cambs, whose Maxtreme Racing operation is offering privateer teams and drivers the opportunity to compete in the new series.

“Our aim is to offer drivers a chance to show their skills in equally matched cars in a fairly high profile series,” said McMillan. “The fact this is a car with racing pedigree, but is little different to what’s found in showrooms makes it all the more exciting.”

The Cruze Cup consists of seven rounds of three 20-minute races at circuits across the UK, kicking off at Rockingham, Northants, on the weekend of April 10 and 11. It will be run as part of the Dunlop Sport Maxx cup, meaning the races will be aired on television and will be part of high-profile meetings at various circuits across England and Wales.

Each car is based on a standard showroom spec 1.8-litre Cruze, converted to accommodate KW racing suspension and bespoke Rimstock alloy wheels. Mechanically, they are little different to standard cars, and all Cruzes on the grid will be scrutineered to ensure  that the series is all about driver skill, as each vehicle will be identical.

The series also has its own website – www.cruzecup.com – where further information can be found, while potential participants