Chevrolet UK has launched a new variant of the Cruze sedan, powered by a slightly smaller 1.7-liter VCDi engine. The same engine is also going to be made available on the Cruze Wagon when it lands at the dealers towards Q3 of this year.
The smaller diesel engine is economy-minded but power shortage is not marked. It manages to push out 130 PS (about 20PS lower compared to the 2.2-liter) and 300Nm of torque. The outputs help the car complete the 0-100kph sprint in 9.4 seconds and reach a maximum speed of 200kph.
At the next week Geneva Motorshow, Chevrolet is all set to announce the Cruze station wagon. However, prior to the Motorshow, Chevrolet has released a few media shots of the Cruze which has accidentally opened a pandora’s box of speculation.
You see the Cruze is about to get a facelift soon and many test mules have been spied wearing camouflage on the front suggesting a front fascia update. Surprisingly, the Cruze station wagon features a different front fascia than the sedan. Thus speculations are rife that the front fascia of station wagon will be carried over to the sedan.
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With VW snatching the 2nd position from Toyota in terms of total sales, look who is back on top again! General Motors has finally declared its total sales for the year 2011 to be a whopping 9.03 million units.
With this, General Motors can claim to be the numero uno manufacturer of the world. VW sold 8.16 million units in 2011 and although Toyota has yet to report its total volume for last year, but last month the Japanese company estimated its annual sales at 7.9 million vehicles.
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GM India had the most numbers of show stoppers in their pavilion. No, we are not talking about the ladies (we are silly petrolheads remember) we are talking about the cool cars on display. There was a Volt, Stingray Concept, WTCC Cruze and the EN-V. No shortage of flashy new wheels as the MPV, Sail, Captiva 2.2 and Tavera Neo3 were unveiled in two separate press conferences.
But a few of them REALLY caught our attention.
First up is the Beat music edition which features:
- Custom Orange color with white graphics
- White alloy wheels
- A chrome tip muffler
- White OVRMS
- And as the name suggest, a custom Music System
GM said it was testing the response of the public to the orange color for the showroom models.
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General Motors’ turn around specialist was the Chevrolet Cruze after it did the unimaginable just at the right time. Not only has the Cruze registered jaw-dropping numbers (in excess of 1 million units worldwide) in almost every market it sailed into, it contributed significantly to the bottom line of the then financially-troubled GM. The Cruze is declared a hit in the US where it was neck and neck with the Toyota Corolla. GM was for the first time competitive in that compact sedan (for America) segment. It has encouraged GM to develop a sportswagon variant.
Left – Chevrolet Cruze facelift; Right – Front fascia of the current Cruze
Back home, GM’s most successful launch since mid-2009 is the Cruze. The Beat diesel comes close, but after the boring performance of the Optra Magnum and the pull-out of two premium segment cars – SR-V and Forester – who would have expected the Cruze to beat all odds and force the competition to advance diesel engine plans?
The Cruze was shown first at the Paris Motor Show back in October 2008. Its been about three years since it was put on the market and it rightfully deserves a cosmetic makeover. The guys over at AutoForum.cz have posted an image of the upgraded model which wears a new multi-slab grill as opposed to the current model’s beehive design. The air dam has evolved from a quadrilateral to a hexagon. Fog light houses are shaped to resemble a right-angled triangle that’s ready to prove the Pythagorean theorem.
Under the hood, GM will be tempted to transplant the updated Captiva’s 2.2-liter VCDI engine that is more fuel economical and better to drive. General Motors has started working on a range of next generation EcoTec petrol engines likely to feature on the Cruze facelift in the coming years. It has tested a full EV guise and is working on sending out a Volt-based variant into the market in the next few years. Future variants are likely to come out sporting the updated looks.
Here at IAB, we have a very soft corner for cars that rescue their manufacturers from the sink hole of bankruptcy. Indeed, the Chevrolet Cruze is one such savior which brought GM back to life. So you can only imagine GM’s jump for joy when they sold 1 millionth Cruze on the day Chevrolet completed its 100 years of existence. It’s almost like a superhero movie script!
Yes, Chevrolet is celebrating its 100th birthday this year and the Cruze just sold its 1 millionth unit worldwide
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If you own a Chevy Cruze, here’s another reason for you to feel a sense of pride. The Chevrolet Cruze is a sales blockbuster in the US clocking 26,648 deliveries in July. It beat the Hyundai Elantra (expected in India by 2013) and the Toyota Corolla in the victorious journey.
GM USA has sold 147,620 Cruze models from January until the end of July. It has a very short distance to go before it beats the Corolla which managed a class-leading 154,324 units in the same period. International blogs reported that GM is considering a diesel Cruze for USA next year. Alongside the diesel, Chevrolet could land a Cruze coupe next year.
With the niche two-door and the high-economy diesel variants can the Cruze become the America’s best selling car in 2011?
GM’s chief marketing officer Joel Ewanick -
We are competitive for the first time ever. The buyers are completely different than the ones we have seen before.
The Cruze has clicked for GM in the States and here in India with a powerful diesel engine it makes up for a sizable volume in the overall sales. GM has introduced a Cruze hatchback in Europe and a station wagon is rumored to be in the works. GM’s Australian division Holden is working out a performance SS variant of the Cruze. GM’s strong attachment with batteries and motors could also lead to a Volt-based EV.
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We loved the latest flick from the Transformers franchise. Just like any other Micheal Bay movie, it was all about larger than life stunts and mind numbing levels of accidents and explosions. We love the little yellow autobot Bumble bee as well. So we wanted to have one our own but sadly Chevy India does not sell the Camaro. So we found an alternative.
Chevrolet has been closely associated with Transformers franchise since the first movie. So clearly, they will be cashing in right now since the movie has is a box office success. We showed you a Transformer Beat earlier this morning now we have a Bumble Bee Cruze for budget-mindful Transformer fans.
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