Chevy Cruze may get hatch, wagon variants
Photo credit: PHILIP MEECH
Reprints
Print
Respond
Other Cruze body styles could include hatchbacks and station wagons, said Hans Demant, vice president of engineering for General Motors Europe.
The Cruze sedan, unveiled this month at the Paris auto show, will go on sale in Europe next March. The Cruze replaces the Lacetti/Nubira, built by GM Daewoo Auto & Technology.
European models will initially be built in South Korea by Daewoo. Production in St. Petersburg, Russia, is expected in the future for the Russian market only. Production for the US market will be in Lordstown, Ohio.
GM executives want the Cruze to accommodate the “individuality” of markets around the globe, Demant said.
“We will have tool sets in many locations,” Demant said of Cruze production. “And as soon as you have a tool set, you have variation which you can create basically at no cost. You have a customer advantage if you make a little modification while you’re doing that.”
Cruze powertrains also will vary from market to market, Demant said. Europe will get both diesel and petrol versions.
But despite the different body styles and powertrains, GM Chief Operating Officer Fritz Henderson said the Cruze will not have high levels of mechanical variability. The changes largely will address differences in regulatory requirements or consumer preference for ride and handling.
Said Henderson: “We’ve developed the vehicle to meet broad, different levels of regulations: pedestrian protection, safety, emissions, all kinds of different requirements.”
You can reach Amy Wilson at awilson@crain.com.
