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The new Cruze is powered by a 1.4-liter turbocharged Ecotec four-cylinder and a 1.8-liter four-cylinder with a choice of six-speed automatic or manual transmissions. The turbocharged engine puts out 138 horsepower and 148 lb-ft. of torque and should be capable of up to 40 mpg on the highway, GM says. The 1.8-liter puts out 136 horsepower and 123 lb-ft. of torque.

The Cruze will be offered in three trim levels, LS, LT and LTZ, the latter two of which will come standard with the turbo motor.

Safety will be a priority in the new Cruze, GM says. Ten airbags will come as standard, including the rear seat side airbags and knee airbags. Stability control and ABS will be standard across the lineup, although rear disc brakes remain an option. The Cruze will come standard with 16-inch wheels, although 17 and 18 inchers will also be available.

Outside, the Cruze takes styling cues from the new Malibu, and promises to be a much sharper car than the current Cobalt. Chief designer Taewan Kim says that the new Cruze’s design is meant to be “bold, not evolutionary. We wanted to take a big step forward, making a strong design statement for Chevrolet products around the world.”

The car hit the European market in March, but U.S. production at the Lordstown, Ohio, plant, where the Cobalt is currently made will begin in June 2010.

Although there is widespread speculation that the Cruze will eventually replace the Cobalt, it still remains possible that both cars could coexist within GM’s lineup. In fact, Chevrolet’s North American head, Ed Peper, says the Cruze is actually intended to create a new segment that slots above the Cobalt but below the Malibu. Seeing the car in person confirms the Cruze could fill that hole in Chevy’s lineup as it is actually bigger than it looks in pictures.

Based on what was once called the Delta 2 platform, the all-new Cruze rides on GM’s Global Compact Vehicle Architecture. The primary engineering and development will come from GMDAT — General Motor’s Korean partner (although there has been strong input from the North American and European planning groups).
http://www.leftlanenews.com/chevrolet-cruze.html

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