Chevrolet Cruze could spawn hatch and wagon variants
The Chevrolet Cruze may be delayed, but that doesn't mean that more variants of the Cobalt/Lacetti replacement aren't on the drawing board. In addition to the standard four-door model that Chevrolet debuted in Paris, a five-door hatch and a wagon will fill the rest of the range.
GM plans to produce the European Cruze in South Korea through its Daewoo operations, along with its plant in St. Petersburg, Russia. The new sedan was designed to meet the needs of a variety of markets, so additional body styles, along with different powertrains, safety specs and ride/handling requirements, will be employed throughout the world. GM announced that the U.S. version would be manufactured at the automaker's Lordstown, Ohio plant and will differ from the variants sold abroad. The Cruze should hit the U.S. market in 2011, but judging by recent reports, we're not holding our breath.
[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Robert 9:40AM (10/27/2008)
So... we'll get those in 2017?
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Jared 10:34AM (10/27/2008)
Only if GM doesn't go bankrupt between now and then. The next two years look very dicey for GM.
Ari 9:44AM (10/27/2008)
This isn't news. This is common sense. Every GM car spawns multiple "variants."
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Kumar 10:14AM (10/27/2008)
So common sense that there are Chevy wagons all over the place....oh wait, there probably are, they just don't give them to us stateside.
Mirko 10:28AM (10/27/2008)
Chevrolet wagon in Europe:
http://www.chevrolet.de/nubira-sw/nubira-sw-index.html
This is the model the Cruze is going to replace in Europe.
Dude 9:50AM (10/27/2008)
Where's the coupe?
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ppgoodpears 9:53AM (10/27/2008)
Don't fret I'm sure we'll be getting it soon as a Suzuki.
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Avinash machado 9:54AM (10/27/2008)
Perhaps it will spawn even more variants like a Pontiac variant,Saturn variant etc.
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Adam Marcello 10:15AM (10/27/2008)
Come on 3 door hatch.
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Gabagool 10:24AM (10/27/2008)
That could be very interesting.
TBlueMax 11:34AM (10/27/2008)
Hopefully a hatch and wagon would fix that awful black plastic trim on the exterior of the c-pillar, just aft of the rear door glass. Not an elegant solution for streamlining the c-pillar and roof line with the rear door.
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BGJ 11:55AM (10/27/2008)
The wagon and hatch are already planned for production - in europe as the new Astra. Same platform, different styling. I highly doubt another version with a bowtie will see production.
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hypermiler 1:14PM (10/27/2008)
Cruze's launching in Korea next month, so why bother wasting time and money setting up a US production when Cruze could simply be imported from Daewoo and launch next spring?
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Nightcrawler 2:01PM (10/27/2008)
As much as we all say we like the idea of wagon and hatch versions, remember how well the Malibu Maxx (didn't) sell.
Basically, and carmaker that bases their production on our wishes is going to go bankrupt with their lots full of manually tranny hatchbacks.
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fixitfixitstop 3:48PM (10/27/2008)
That generation of Malibu was rather dated-looking at launch, and the engine choices weren't so hot either.
Dave 7:39PM (10/27/2008)
"Basically, and carmaker that bases their production on our wishes is going to go bankrupt with their lots full of manually tranny hatchbacks."
Good call.
eb110americana 2:54PM (10/27/2008)
The Cruze will NOT be delayed, see below:
http://www.wfmj.com/Global/story.asp?S=9240449
http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f13/gm-denies-cruze-delays-gmi-confirms-no-delay-70690/
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P.V. 5:29PM (10/27/2008)
This is good, but hopefully they put Pontiac out of its misery (especially with the news of the death of the RWD G8) rather than badge this as a Pontiac as well.
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ocnblu 7:19PM (10/27/2008)
There needs to be a coupe, that's a no-brainer. Plenty of Cobalt coupes are sold (I just bought an '09). And of course Pontiac needs a version, with its own front end, rear end and interior... something like the successful relationship between Sunfire/Cavalier. I was one of those that cried for an all-RWD Pontiac lineup, but now that that promise has faded, I've realized that, with just styling to differentiate them, Pontiac can survive, as they have up to now.
ToniCipriani 9:07PM (10/27/2008)
Kind of expected, given that the Cruze replaces the Lacetti, which in turn have both of those variants.
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