While General Motors' US-based global media centre has issued only a short statement announcing the name of the replacement for Chevrolet Europe's Daewoo-built Lacetti, a spokesman for GM UK's media relations department has revealed exclusive details of the car's global significance to AutomotiveWorld.com.
Some sources had, until now, suggested that 'Ultra' would be the new vehicle's name, following the debut of a Lacetti-sized hatchback concept with that badge at the Paris show two years ago. While the Cruze is likely to share certain styling cues with that design study, the Cruze at Paris will be a four-door sedan. A larger car than the Lacetti (Nubira in some European markets), it will run alongside the existing five-door hatchback, sedan and wagon series "for about 18 months", according to Chevrolet UK's product manager for Communications, Craig Cheetham.
GM says the Cruze was developed by a global design and engineering team and will be built "in multiple locations around the world". The Cruze "approaches an overall length of 4.6 metres and offers ample interior space and cargo capacity for five passengers".
Cheetham confirmed that the new model will be the first production application of GM's Delta 2 architecture and that the Cruze for Europe would be on sale from January. The UK importer at least, will offer GM and Motori Moderni's existing 1.6-litre gasoline and 2.0-litre turbodiesel I4 engines respectively but a 1.4-litre gasoline unit may follow for other regional markets.
The car itself is vital for GM as it will bring all its lower medium-sized vehicles onto one architecture and see the Cruze and its derivatives built in plants in Europe, Mexico, the US, Russia, South Korea and Brazil. While cars for Europe will initially be sourced from GM Daewoo, Cheetham would not rule out future exports westwards from GM Europe's forthcoming St Petersburg manufacturing complex.
For North America, this is undoubtedly the new model that Rick Wagoner recently hinted would be the replacement for the (Ohio-built) Chevy Cobalt. Expect production to start in 2009 for the 2010 model year.
The Cruze model name was used by GM for a Chevrolet-badged version of the Suzuki Ignis sold in Japan between 2001 and 2006, while a version of the same vehicle, the Holden Cruze, was sold in Australia between 2001 and 2005. These cars were far smaller than the forthcoming Chevrolet Cruze, which will share nothing with these models.
Some sources had, until now, suggested that 'Ultra' would be the new vehicle's name, following the debut of a Lacetti-sized hatchback concept with that badge at the Paris show two years ago. While the Cruze is likely to share certain styling cues with that design study, the Cruze at Paris will be a four-door sedan. A larger car than the Lacetti (Nubira in some European markets), it will run alongside the existing five-door hatchback, sedan and wagon series "for about 18 months", according to Chevrolet UK's product manager for Communications, Craig Cheetham.
GM says the Cruze was developed by a global design and engineering team and will be built "in multiple locations around the world". The Cruze "approaches an overall length of 4.6 metres and offers ample interior space and cargo capacity for five passengers".
Cheetham confirmed that the new model will be the first production application of GM's Delta 2 architecture and that the Cruze for Europe would be on sale from January. The UK importer at least, will offer GM and Motori Moderni's existing 1.6-litre gasoline and 2.0-litre turbodiesel I4 engines respectively but a 1.4-litre gasoline unit may follow for other regional markets.
The car itself is vital for GM as it will bring all its lower medium-sized vehicles onto one architecture and see the Cruze and its derivatives built in plants in Europe, Mexico, the US, Russia, South Korea and Brazil. While cars for Europe will initially be sourced from GM Daewoo, Cheetham would not rule out future exports westwards from GM Europe's forthcoming St Petersburg manufacturing complex.
For North America, this is undoubtedly the new model that Rick Wagoner recently hinted would be the replacement for the (Ohio-built) Chevy Cobalt. Expect production to start in 2009 for the 2010 model year.
The Cruze model name was used by GM for a Chevrolet-badged version of the Suzuki Ignis sold in Japan between 2001 and 2006, while a version of the same vehicle, the Holden Cruze, was sold in Australia between 2001 and 2005. These cars were far smaller than the forthcoming Chevrolet Cruze, which will share nothing with these models.
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