In the event that Opel does come to Australia as a stand-alone brand, HSV is looking for its own hot hatch to go up against the likes of the Focus RS and Subaru WRX, and the Australian developed Cruze 5dr hatchback is on the cards.
While keeping the front end and taut body lines of the sedan model, the refreshingly stylish hatch comes with a sweeping coupe-like roofline and a unique rear end treatment. GM has not yet issued any photos of the cabin, but don't expect any changes over the four-door saloon.
The brand needs to reinvent its small car's image for the 21st century to that of a higher quality car and not just the lowest common denominator; quality and reliability, which still have to be proven over time, are a must.
It's very likely as in a recent webchat on GM's Reinvention site, Mark Reuss, the man in charge of the automaker's core North American operations, strongly suggested that a coupe variant of the Cruze could be on the horizon.
And while most of us would assume that a coupe model would basically translate to a reshaped Cruze with two-doors less and perhaps a sportier roofline and other unique styling cues, independent designer David Cardoso has a different idea in mind.
The compact sedan, which has already stacked more than 200,000 sales in overseas markets since it went on sale in 2009, will be offered in the States in four different versions.
The basic LS starts at $16,995 and comes with a 1.8-liter rated at an estimated 138HP and 125 lb.-ft. of torque (168 Nm) at 3,800 rpm. The four-pot is matched to a standard 6-speed manual transmission.
Dubbed the Cruze Irmscher Edition, the car gets an optional boot lid spoiler along with 18-inch alloy wheels shod in beefier 225 sport tires and aluminum door sills.
Now, they plan on taking things one step further by offering unique packages that will hopefully allow it to compete with segment top dogs like the Civic and Focus.
First comes the Cruze RS, which boils down to an appearance package (and a pretty snazzy one at that) available on LT and LTZ models. According to the PR people, said package "bolsters the car's styling with unique fascias, rocker moldings, rear spoiler and fog lamps."
Powered by a 2.0-liter common rail diesel engine delivering 150 horsepower, the automatic version of the Cruze sedan accelerates from 0-62mph (100km/h) in 9.9 seconds and goes on to a top speed of 124mph or 199km/h.
It offers up to 51.4mpg UK on the extra urban cycle and 42.2mpg UK combined, with CO2 emissions of 177g/km.
The Cruze 2.0 VCDi LT Auto is priced £17,145 on-the-road and comes with several standard features including full climate control, parking sensors, cruise control, front fog lamps, 17-inch alloy wheels, rain sensitive wipers, automatic headlights, a six-CD autochanger and MP3 socket, and an alarm system.
Chevrolet's European arm is expanding its German lineup with the introduction of three special edition packages for the Aveo supermini, Cruze sedan and Captiva SUV.Priced at €1,990, the Sport package for the Aveo is available on both the 3- and 5-door models with the 1.2-liter and 1.4-liter engines. It adds a sport suspension that lowers the Aveo's ride height by 30mm, 15-inch black alloy wheels shod in 195/45 R15 tires, a stainless steel exhaust system and a roof spoiler.
The Cruze, which was revealed in U.S.-spec form at the Los Angeles Auto Show, is offered with a sport package developed by long-time GM tuner, Irmscher.
Available with either a 1.8-liter petrol unit that makes 141HP or a 2.0-liter diesel with 150HP, the kit is priced at €1,990 and it includes a lowered suspension, 18-inch alloys wrapped in 225/45 R18 rubber, stainless steel scuff plates, sport exhaust tips and Irmscher logos.
Finally, the Captiva Family Edition adds more standard equipment to the SUV including cruise control, parking sensors, air-conditioning, leather seats, steering wheel and gearbox knob and a higher grade audio system.
Prices for the Captiva Family Edition start from €26,590 for the petrol model and from €28,190 for the diesel.
More than a year after its debut at the Paris Motor Show in 2008, GM has unveiled the U.S.-market production version of the 2011 Cruze compact sedan that will make its first public outing at the L.A. Auto Show on December 2. When it arrives in GM's dealerships in the third quarter of 2010, the Cruze will be offered with a new family of small displacement four-cylinder engines including a 1.4-liter turbocharged unit and a naturally aspirated 1.8-liter.GM said that the Ecotec 1.4L turbo produces an estimated 138 horsepower and 148 lb.-ft. of torque (200 Nm) offering up to 40mpg on the highway and a cruising range of more than 500 miles (800 km). No figures were released for the naturally aspirated 1.8-liter engine, but buyers should expect a similar power output with lower torque.
All engines will be coupled to six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmissions.
The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze will be offered in three different trims, LS, LT and LTZ. Standard and available equipment will include 10 air bags, electronic stability control with rollover sensing, Bluetooth, USB connectivity and navigation system.
"The amenities, quietness and roominess you expect in larger cars are what the Cruze delivers," said Margaret Brooks, Chevrolet product marketing manager. "This is a car that will shake up the compact segment, with a more spacious interior and more cargo room than the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla."
The U.S. and Canadian versions of the 2011 Cruze will be assembled in Lordstown, Ohio, where GM invested $350 million for their production.
The Detroit automaker claims that the plan's body shop was retooled with the latest in body-framing and welding equipment to optimize the manufacture of a very solid body structure promising minimal production variance and repeatable gap tolerances of 3 mm or less between most exterior panels.
Having already made its way into Europe, China, Australia (as a Holden), South Korea (as a Daewoo) and other international markets, GM has announced that the debut of the U.S. production version of the Chevrolet Cruze sedan will take place at the Los Angeles Auto Show on December 2. However, we won't be seeing the Cruze in GM's dealerships for a while as the compact-sized sedan's U.S. market launch is scheduled for the third quarter of 2010.Chevrolet expects that the new Cruze will return up to 40 mpg on the highway with its new 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine.
Alongside the Cruze, Chevrolet's LA Auto Show stand will also will feature the all-new 2010 Camaro sports coupe, Equinox compact crossover SUV and the Volt electric vehicle that will go on sale in the States in late 2010.
