First press conference of the day at the 2009 L.A. Auto Show, and the honor belongs to the North American debut of the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze.
Well, kind of.
The Cruze's stepsister (we'll call her Chevy Volt) stole the new world car's thunder as Chevrolet's global head Brent Dewar talked Volt before and after the Cruze drove onto the stage.
Never mind that the Cruze is already on sale around the world, racking up nearly 4 million miles in durability testing. Forget that it has already earned impressive European safety ratings, and Chevy says its optional 138-horsepower turbocharged inline-4 cylinder engine will get 40 mpg.
For now, let's just keep talking electric car. The fuel-efficient Cruze's day will come. And it'll likely come with a price tag that's half that of the Chevy Volt.
-- Kelly Toepke, News Editor
Full Story: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
cwmoo740 says:
11:27 AM, 12/ 2/09
WHY does the cruze get 40 mpg highway (I assume highway, at least), but the Volt only gets 38?
Does a battery pack really add that much more weight to increase rolling friction to lower gas mileage a whole 5%? Or is there that much more internal friction, inefficiency in conversion of gasoline to electrical energy, etc. to lower gas mileage a whole 5% in highway cruising? I'm pretty sure they should have the same frontal area and Cd, as they're practically the same car.
I would think that an engine specially optimized to run constantly at a certain RPM to act as a generator would be MUCH more efficient than a traditional one. So what's the deal?
jederino says:
11:43 AM, 12/ 2/09
Automakers need both - technology poster children like the Volt, and refined,practical applications of technology like the Cruze. Both have their place, but the Cruze will make money.
If you read highly researched historical magazines like "Collectible Automobile", you get a different picture from the big Three automakers in the past decades. You realize that the american automakers spent lots of mulla on technology for small cars and efficient technologies back in the 60's -heck, even safety - only to be rebuffed by American buyers. In the 70's, they led in art and design, only to lose market share to import econo-appliances. The Big Three do not get to dictate what buyers drive, and never really did. Now, I think GM is bringing what the buying public wants, and they should be applauded, even if it doesn't quite stir the soul. Because, at the last, buyers have they last word. And they are a fickle bunch.
87bonnev says:
12:51 PM, 12/ 2/09
Full disclosure: I am GM chassis engineer.
@jederino: Well said.
1487 says:
12:52 PM, 12/ 2/09
40hwy is not the same as 38mpg COMBINED. I believe they are saying the Volt would get 38mpg after the battery loses its initital charge. The cruze will probably get 34-35mpg combined.
efinils2 says:
04:07 PM, 12/ 2/09
This is one of the most appealing compact sedans out there right now, and I am very glad that is coming from GM; this should erase those bad memories from the Cavalier/Cobalt/Sunfire mutant that never quite did look right.
An interesting tid bit of information is that, in Japan, Chevrolet has been selling the Cruze for a number of years (2002) BUT not in sedan form; instead, it is a mini-suv -think Suzuki Samurai- derived from the Daihatsu Terios!
pbconspiracy says:
03:54 AM, 12/ 3/09
This car looks like it could be a winner. However, GM's speed to market is horrible. We here in the U.S. get another year of the Cobalt, while the rest of the world already has the Cruze. There is no excuse for not having this car available 1Q 2010. The competition moves much faster (with quality).
inlinesix says:
10:07 PM, 12/ 3/09
pbconspiracy:
+1
Chevy:
You're late to the party. We'll see if you deliver with cars like this one. It looks good on paper.
I think people will buy cars like this over the Volt. Then Lutz will say no-one wants hybrids...
juan_mx says:
06:29 AM, 12/ 8/09
A six-speed auto transmission is a nice improvement and a fuel saver, but I was hoping that the american version of the Cruze would come with the 2.2L ECOTEC engine. It seems that GM believes that 40mpg highway (1.4L turbo) will sell more cars than than the 37mpg highway you get with the 2.2L (Cobalt). We well see......I believe that the 1.4L turbo engine will not be as reliable as the 2.2L. On the other side, the 1.8L is basically the same engine that came with the Saturn Astra, and this engine never met the expectations of the american driver.