Less than one week before Transformers 2: Rise of the Fallen goes into wide release in China, fans of the morphing vehicle-turned-robot movie franchise took to the streets of Beijing in full Bumblebee regalia.

What looks to be a well-organized event was put on by website Autohome.com.cn, and it appears that they even managed to get General Motors' Chevrolet division in on the act, with a new Bumblebee-spec Camaro to lead the procession of like-painted fan cars.

We're not sure we'd go with the yellow-and-black stripes treatment on our own rides, but we remain impressed with both the dedication and the sheer variety of cars that have been given the 'Full Bumblebee,' including a couple of new Cruze sedans and a passel of Aveos, a Ford Focus, a Suzuki Swift and an SX4, a Citroen C4 – even a Mark II Volkswagen Golf. Check out the high-res photo gallery after the jump, and be sure to click on the link below for even more shots of the event. Thanks for the tip, Joe!



[Source: Autohome.com.cn via Google Translate]

The idea behind building a stunning performance car like the new Chevy Camaro is as much about selling the car itself as it is about casting a bright light on the rest of the automaker's range. The muscle car in the window may bring you into the dealership, but you're more likely to walk out with something more practical. Say, a Cruze, for example.

That's what happened with one customer in China, where the price of an imported Camaro is, according to one report at least, the equivalent of a whopping $200,000. Having apparently geeked out like the rest of us at Michael Bay's blockbuster hit Transformers, the customer looks to have fallen in love with Bumblebee like that little punk Shia LeBeouf with Megan Fox (who really should be with a certain blogger whose name starts with an "N" and ends with an "oah"), but...where were we? Oh yeah, the Chinese fan gave his Chevy Cruze the full Bumblebee treatment, which looks to have involved a bit more than just plastering on some racing stripes. Check it out in the gallery below.



[Source: China Car Times I Images: Club.Sohu.com]

While a set of races in the World Touring Car Championship might not ordinarily be something we'd cover here at Autoblog – we doubt you'll mind the spoiler – this weekend's rounds in Marrakech, Morocco, held a series of firsts for the international racing series. Not only was this the first time the championship headed into Africa, but the new Chevy Cruze scored its first pole position and followed up by taking first place in both races, with Nicola Larini taking his first race victory in the series.

The former grand prix driver raced for Ligier-Ford, Modena-Lamborghini and Scuderia Ferrari, scoring a career-best second-place finish with the latter at San Marino in 1994 after taking the DTM title in Germany the year before. The veteran Italian racer has been with the Chevy team in the WTCC since 2005, and scored his first race victory in the series in the second round of the double-header in Marrakech after his team-mate Rob Huff turned the first pole position for the new Chevrolet Cruze racer into the car's maiden victory in the first race. Huff's domination from start to finish was only compounded by the fastest laps that the Cruze claimed en route to the checkered flag in both races. The duo faced tough opposition from a field composed primarily of Seat Leon TSFI and BMW 320si touring cars, but the new Chevy, which was unveiled last October before receiving its official livery in December, ultimately prevailed at the new North African track. Details in the press release after the jump, high-res photos in the gallery below.



[Source: Chevrolet and Autosport]

While the Chevy Cruze isn't coming to the U.S. until 2010, the attractively styled compact is set to go on sale in Europe this July. General Motors released pricing for the Cruze in advance of its Euro launch, and the Bow Tie brand is going right after the bottom line of the Ford Focus. The Cruze starts at £11,545 ($15,883 in U.S. dollars) with a 1.6-liter, 111-hp petrol engine. That's about £1,800 cheaper than the Focus, giving the fuel efficient Cruze the price edge in a down automotive market. Opt for the 1.6-liter petrol LS model and expect to part with £12,595 ($17,335). The top of the line LT model comes equipped with a 1.8-liter gas engine or 2.0-liter diesel and starts at £13,595 ($18,712).

While prices in the UK typically don't translate well to U.S. dollars, $15,883 for the base Cruze would put it in the same price class as the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. We should, however, receive a discount for having to wait a year longer than the Europeans.



[Source: Channel 4]

Things are moving along quite nicely with the development of the Chevy Volt. According to Bob Lutz, test mules of the extended-range electric vehicle are now being built atop the soon-to-be-released Chevy Cruze. This is a logical progression since the production Volt will share its Delta underpinnings with the new compact from General Motors when it finally goes on sale in 2010. Prior to these latest mules, the test cars used last-gen Malibu shells that Lutz and the team affectionately referred to as "MaliVolts." Predictably, Mr. Lutz praises the new Delta platform, and we have every reason to believe that it will be leaps and bounds better than its Cobalt forebear, just as that model is light-years ahead of the Cavalier it replaced. Lutz goes on to say that the battery pack, motor and internal combustion engine are all working very well together, even in the freezing cold temperatures around Detroit these days. It all sounds rather promising, though it'd be even better if that first paragraph on the FastLane Blog weren't necessary, right?

[Source: GM FastLane]

The Chevy Cruze era has begun in South Korea, except the sedan will be badged as the Lacetti Premiere. General Motors partner Daewoo is producing the fuel efficient sedan for Korea, the first market to get one of GM's most important future vehicles. The Cruze is the first truly global vehicle that the General will produce, with a keen eye on fuel economy and scalability. The Lacetti Premiere will come equipped with the same 1.6L powerplant with 140 hp as the rest of the world, meaning fuel economy is reported to approach 40 mpg on the highway. Europe won't receive the Cruze until early 2009, with the U.S. getting the Bow Tie-branded sedan in 2010... at the earliest.


[Source: Trading Markets]

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.]

As General Motors burns through $1 billion in cash each month, the automaker's belt-tightening continues unabated, spanning the spectrum from lay-offs to shutting down the escalators at the RenCen. Naturally, its products aren't immune from the cash-strapped hatchet.

First came word that the CTS Coupe and Buick Lacrosse debuts have been delayed, and now BusinessWeek reports that the Cruze's launch has been put off by a year, now set to hit dealers in 2011. Additionally, the next generation Malibu won't be out until 2013 – six months after it was due to arrive.

GM spokesperson Dee Allen wouldn't get into specifics, only saying that new-car programs "are going to shift around a bit."

The General's decision to put off development of certain projects isn't surprising considering the automaker's current predicaments (that's putting it lightly), and it's more a move to limit costs as 2008 draws to a close, saving money for 2009, what will surely be GM's make-or-break year.



[Source: BusinessWeek via eGMCarTech]

The Chevrolet Cruze is three kinds of car: small, American and important. And with the state of General Motors, it isn't even the individual words that mean the most: it's whether The General can combine them into a reliable, fuel efficient and cost effective package. True, we don't get to drive these things while they're parked under the lights, but to have a seat in the Cruze is to imagine a GM that begs the question, "Where was all this before the meltdown?" The studio imagery we've seen so far translates nicely into real life, and the center console looks and feels substantial – in fact, it looks like it could be foreign – even if the silver mesh treatment in the show car was a bit much. The car has a compact yet full-bodied stance, and will probably look even better on the road in a color other than scarlet, and not under klieg lights. Spring of '09 will welcome this first Cruze variant to Europe, after which other regions will get it, as well as a probable hatchback and wagon. It will be powered by a 1.4-liter turbo four-cylinder that charts up to 140 hp and is said to return 40 mpg. Have a look at the high-res gallery of live shots below to get a better idea of what to expect when the Cruze goes on sale here in a couple years.

We've gotten a pretty good look at the 2010 Chevy Cruze already, but the model that had been making rounds in the U.S. was nothing more than a styling buck with no guts inside. Today, just a few hours ahead of the Paris Motor Show, General Motors has revealed the rest of the Cruze, including its interior, and we like what we see. The exterior looks crisp and shows off Chevy's latest design language, especially with the Malibu-esque face and sharp headlights. Everyone agrees that it's a step-up styling-wise from its Cobalt forebear. It's the interior that really shines, though. What appears to be a tweed-like fabric covers sweeping colored panels from the dash to the doors. Two large gauges, two smaller ones and a digital readout places the most important information front-and-center while a cluster of buttons sits just below a centrally-located LCD screen. Meanwhile, the center stack appears to be a fresh design, though any judgment on its ergonomics will have to wait.

We won't be getting the Cruze in the States until April 2010 as a 2011 model. When that finally happens, the Cruze will be powered by a 140-horsepower 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, which will somehow manage to achieve above 40 mpg on the highway. If you want it now, perhaps you should stop buying so many Cobalts. In Europe, sales will begin in March of 2009 with a range of gas and diesel powerplants.


[Source: GM]