Jalopnik: 10 chevy cruze

Chevy Cruze WTCC Racer Fully Revealed

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST

Not happy with just taunting us with the new 2010 Chevy Cruze going on sale a year earlier in Europe than in the US, GM has now fully unveiled the World Touring Car Championship Chevy Cruze, all dolled up for serious action. The racing Cruze replaces the Chevrolet Lacetti as GM's WTCC corporate racer and will be driven by a 2.0 liter four cylinder and piloted by Brit racer Rob Huff, Swizerlander Alain Menu and Italian Nicola Larini. The rough part of this whole story is the pun-tastic headline GM uses in their press release. An audible groaner below.

CRUZE-ING TO VICTORY?

* Chevrolet unveils new WTCC contender
* 2009 car based on new Cruze global car
* British driver Rob Huff continues Chevrolet involvement

With a new global car on the way for 2009, the World Touring Car Championship is the perfect platform for Chevrolet to put its latest model in the public eye.

This is the new Cruze WTCC car, which replaces the successful Lacetti as Chevrolet’s contender in the 2009 series.

Powered by a 2.0-litre petrol engine, the WTCC Cruze has a hard act to follow, as the Lacetti won its final two outings for Chevrolet in Macau.

But Chevrolet’s drivers are confident that the new car will be a top performer in the series, which has gained global recognition as one of the most exciting tin-top series since its inception in 2005.

British driver Rob Huff (28) from Newmarket, Suffolk, who has been with Chevrolet since it debuted in World Touring Cars said: “The Cruze is a great car and feels fast straight out of the box. We are obviously still at the very early stages of development but already I can feel how much better it handles and what an advantage the car’s wider track will be in a race environment.’

Rob will be joined in 2009 by Swiss racer Alain Menu and Italian Nicola Larini. All three drivers also drove for Chevrolet in 2008.

The cars will be prepared for Chevrolet once again by RML Motorsport. The Wellingborough, Northants, based company has a history of motorsport involvement with Chevrolet’s parent company, General Motors, and has looked after Chevrolet’s WTCC involvement since 2005.

The Chevrolet Cruze, on which the 2009 WTCC car is based, will go on sale in the UK during the first half of next year, and will be sold in over 130 countries worldwide. It is one of Chevrolet’s most important new models ever, as it clearly illustrates a new level of styling and quality for the brand, both in Europe and in the USA. The car made its public debut to much acclaim at the Paris Motor Show in October.

[Source: GM]

2010 Chevy Cruze Spotted In The Wild, Camo-Free

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 10:00:00 EDT

Despite the Lordstown reveal of the all-foam 2010 Chevy Cruze, a real one was spotted in a parking lot wearing only a domino mask over the badge, as if nobody would notice. The Cruze has been overshadowed by the PR tour de force that is the Chevy Volt; that said, the 45 MPG Cruze is shaping up to be a very serious contender, and these are the first virtually camo-free images we've seen of the car out in the wild. Is it wrong we're actually excited about getting behind the wheel of what's essentially an econobox done right?

[Photobucket via ABGreen]

2010 Chevy Cruze To Get 45 MPG, Fight Prius With One Powertrain

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:20:00 EDT

The 2011 Chevy Cruze, GM's additional vehicle which will some day, we're sure, replace the Cobalt, will be able to achieve 45 MPG from it's 1.4-liter turbocharged engine, at least according to a small aside in an Associated Press report:

One model, the sleek new Chevrolet Cruze due out in 2010, is the replacement for the clunky Chevrolet Cobalt small car. GM plans to power the Cruze with a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, allowing it to get around 45 miles per gallon

This follows our report that the Cruze would get better than 40 mpg. If it can achieve 45 MPG it'll put the 2009 Toyota Prius, which gets 45 MPG highway, right in its sights.

It couldn't be more important for the Cruze to be a hit given that, in the same article, the AP pointed out Honda is getting $19,000 for the Civic compared to just $12,000 for each Cobalt. Now that the era of everyone getting a large SUV and putting $10,000 in GM's coffers is over, those small cars need to be more valuable and profitable than ever. [Source: AP via Forbes]