Click above for a high-res gallery of the Chevy Cruze
Remember when we told you that GM plans to make more money off of its small cars by upping its prices? Well, as far as the Cruze is concerned, not only do they plan to charging substantially more than the outgoing Cobalt, they might demand more cash than a comparably equipped Corolla, Civic, or Focus. According to GM, that’s because it needs to make more per car than Honda or Toyota.
With the average Civic rolling away for $19,184, GM doesn’t have a lot of room to play before hitting the $20,000 ceiling. And if GM was to get an average price of $19,500 for the Cruze, that would be a $3,000 premium over the current (average) price for the Cobalt. That still gives no indication of how much money GM would actually be making on the car, though.
Design honcho Ed Welburn feels the car’s styling and interior will justify the extra dosh, and said he believes “we have some very unique content and materials that are in the vehicle.” Conviction is a good start, and if they can back it up the verdict might go their way. For that, we have to wait for the jury of consumers to decide.
Featured Gallery
Featured Gallery
Chevy’s new Cruze small car debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show in late 2009.
GM
The small car will compete against the likes of the Honda Civic, Ford Focus and Toyota Corolla when it goes on sale later this year. As you can tell from the front view, the Cruze borrows heavily from the look of the larger Malibu sedan.
GM
Despite the long, fluid arc of the roof design, the car is still airy inside. Typically when manufacturers attempt a “coupe design” for sedans they end up sacrificing headroom. The Cruze seems to avoid this with ample space. One last thing: Do you notice a little bit of BWM’s 3-series sedan in the tail light design?
GM
A new interior is really where GM should be focusing for its entry-level effort and thankfully, when it comes to the Cruze, they’ve delivered. Again, like the larger Malibu, the Cruze features a two-tone sculpted look with some bright plastics that give the look of aluminum (without the cost). The seats are supple and supportive — something that was lacking from the Cobalt’s interior.
GM
Expect the Cruze to go on sale in the fall of 2010.
GM
[Source: IHT]