vLane Blog

The Future of GM Part 2: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze

From Banovsky, Featured Contributor
Posted on June 25, 2009

Filed under GM, General Motors, Future, Mileage, Feature, Sedan, Chevrolet, Detroit, 2011, Cruze

In this five-part series (part one here), we'll take a look at some of the most exciting products that GM has in the pipeline. It's not a commercial, either: with 60.8 per cent of the company now owned by the US taxpayers — and 11.7 per cent by Canadian taxpayers — it's a good time to look at how well our investments are holding up.

The Cruze is one of the first truly global GM cars. The company has developed this Cobalt replacement, keeping everywhere from Denny's parking lot to downtown Shanghai, China in mind. It's even on sale now in China and other world markets before being introduced in North America next year.

Click through for more info, photos, and a Chinese-market commercial!

After making its debut at the Detroit Auto Show this year, GM released details that make any small car lover sit up and take notice: an optional 1.4L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, six speed automatic and manual transmissions, Bluetooth, electronic stability control, and several other tech features.

Why will this car make waves? Because GM finally realizes that they can't keep making crappy small cars. For young buyers, an affordable car is basically a gateway into a car company's product line — and with years of suffering through the Cavalier and Cobalt, new buyers may have a reason to stay with the company past their first car.

But more on the turbo engine. GM says the Cruze’s 1.4L turbo performs like a larger engine when needed, but retains the efficiency of a small-displacement four-cylinder in most driving conditions. Its power-boosting advantage comes from forcing more air into the engine than a non-boosted engine would draw normally; power ratings are estimated at 140 horsepower and 148 lb-ft of torque.

GM also says that the 1.4L turbocharged motor will return close to 40mpg.

In addition to the 1.4L turbo, the Cruze will also be offered in North America with an ancient efficient 1.8L four-cylinder engine with dual continuously variable camshafts.

Read More:

• Future of GM Part 1: 2010 Buick LaCrosse
• Opinion: the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro RS
• Interesting Car Names: The Wuling Little Tornado

Banovsky is a featured contributor for vLane.