Officially official: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze

[bowtie_dude]

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/21/gm-rele...11-chevy-cruze/

[bowtie_dude]

I'm still pissed that it will be built in the US starting early 09, yet won't go on sale until early 2010. Stupid, stupid, STUPID.

[Robert Hall]

I'm still pissed that it will be built in the US starting early 09, yet won't go on sale until early 2010. Stupid, stupid, STUPID.

Yeah, what's up with that? It's going to be built in the US, but shipped to Europe? Seems odd...I would think they would be building it in Europe as well..

[the_yellow_dart]

Looks a lot better than it did in the spy shots. Still not really sure about the huge new Chevy grille. It works better on the Malibu, but even there I think it's a little big.

[bowtie_dude]

Looks a lot better than it did in the spy shots. Still not really sure about the huge new Chevy grille. It works better on the Malibu, but even there I think it's a little big.

Its my favorite thing about the new Chevy cars. I think its bold and in your face. Pointedly American, especially with the big bowtie in the middle.

[Robert Hall]

Looks a lot better than it did in the spy shots. Still not really sure about the huge new Chevy grille. It works better on the Malibu, but even there I think it's a little big.

The curve of the hood dipping into the light cluster looks a bit odd in the head-on view...makes it look angry and aggro, which is what they were trying to achieve, I think..interesting that the bar with the bowtie is set so high in the grille rather than centered.

[smk4565]

Overall it looks good, but I would have liked to see the bar across the middle of the grille, rather than near the top of the grille. The tailights look like they were inspired by a Camry or the old GS300, not really a fan of the back. 2011 model year is a while away, Civic and Fit are updated for 09 and new Mazda 3 for 2010, plus the Euro Fords will be here by then, and the Insight comes out next year and is supposed to get 60 mpg or something crazy. GM coming 2 years later with a 40 mpg car isn't going to make a big impact.

[bowtie_dude]

Overall it looks good, but I would have liked to see the bar across the middle of the grille, rather than near the top of the grille. The tailights look like they were inspired by a Camry or the old GS300, not really a fan of the back. 2011 model year is a while away, Civic and Fit are updated for 09 and new Mazda 3 for 2010, plus the Euro Fords will be here by then, and the Insight comes out next year and is supposed to get 60 mpg or something crazy. GM coming 2 years later with a 40 mpg car isn't going to make a big impact.

Same old GM story, seems like.

[Brougham-Holiday]

The rear looks a little too "safe" nothing really distinctive about it. Over all a nice looking small car that looks far better then the spy shots.

[Robert Hall]

It will be interesting to see what other bodystyles come..the taillights remind me a bit of the Euro Civic sedan. I assume for the US there will a coupe and probably hatchbacks and a wagon for other markets. Looks like it will be competitive. A solid design.

Edited August 21, 2008 by moltar

[Sixty8panther]

Not bad at all as far as styling goes... this definately

makes the Cobalt 4dr sedan look like a Daewoo.

[Drew Dowdell]

Very attractive entry to the compact market.

[Intrepidation]

I don't like the big tail lights, they look just like the new 7-Series, which I also don't like. Overall It looks much better and more sophisticated than the Cobalt. Too bad GM is retarded and we won't get the car for almost 2 years.

Edited August 21, 2008 by Dodgefan

[enzl]

Great way to encourage fans to wait for the next gen product.

Not sure why GM does this---are they afraid people will think they have nothing on the way?

I appreciate that the product is supposed to be better, but I don't get how this helps sell Cobalts in 08 & 09.

Is somebody with some insiders insight have any clue what GM's reason is for doing these early reveals? At least the Camaro had no predecessor to ruin sales while fans waited.

[siegen]

In typical GM fashion, I do like the design at first glance. However, upon closer inspection some of the design language bugs me.

With three minor tweaks to the exterior styling, this car would look 100x better IMHO.

1. Make the side crease not slope down quite so quickly, and carry all the way forward. Eliminate the front fender crease and make the main side crease meet the head lights.

2. The grille is pretty good, but still needs work. Make the bottom portion slightly smaller, perhaps just an inch or even 1/2 inch shorter.

3. Get rid of the head light spike, and make the head lights more stylized by sloping down and inwards a little more, perhaps a half inch.

It's only 100% better looking than the Cobalt already.

[Paolino]

I like it--not too big a fan of the taillights however. Yay for LED gauges!

[Sixty8panther]

I think the tail lights are okay...

You know what the profile & nose remind me?

It's like a very pissed off, more muscular

version of the Sonata, which itself is a pretty

clean design but a bit plain.

Maybe this mom was a Cavalier Z24, and dad

was a german-spec. Opel Astra, but with some

cross breeding on the grandfather's side....

the cool, angry fascia is the Buick-Opel side of

the family, which itself has some traces of '59

Buick DNA from the previous generation.

Ohhh-kaaaaaaaay. Time to take my meds, or

perhaps the problem is that I'm NOT really on

any medication. (what's in this water?)

Edited August 21, 2008 by Sixty8panther

[CSpec]

Looks promising. Hopefully it won't be dated by the time it actually comes out here. Also, I really hope Chevy has learned from the Cobalt--even though it may have been good for a year or so, the competition can change and the new Civic just destroyed it. The Cobalt became very old very fast.

[Oracle of Delphi]

Here in Europe we get a wagon version, don't know about that for the US.

[SuperSport623]

i wanna see the coupe!

[vonVeezelsnider]

Here in Europe we get a wagon version, don't know about that for the US.

Oh I hope we get a Wagon version of the Cruze or NG Astra... or that Ford brings over the Estate version of the Euro Focus. Small wagons are really popular in Canada.

[C.H.U.D.]

I think it's okay, but the front isn't cute at all. Will women buy this car? Remains to be seen. They need to put the "Tahoe rush" on this and get it to market post haste.

[bowtie_dude]

I think it's okay, but the front isn't cute at all. Will women buy this car? Remains to be seen. They need to put the "Tahoe rush" on this and get it to market post haste.

Good.

[pow]

I like the front clip. Everything aft of the B-pillar looks generic.

[Robert Hall]

With the arched roofline and side creases and fender arches, if it had a a quarter window instead of the lame black plastic behind the rear door, the side profile would almost be Audi-esque, like a sedan version of the A3 might look...

[Sixty8panther]

With the arched roofline and side creases and fender arches, if it had a a quarter window instead of the lame black plastic behind the rear door, the side profile would almost be Audi-esque, like a sedan version of the A3 might look...

Yup... that's MY biggest complaint.

[Sixty8panther]

I like the front clip. Everything aft of the B-pillar looks generic.

B-pillars are the DEVIL.

Did you know that B-pillars are responsible for the

assasination of JFK (& framing of Oswald) as well

as the Black Plague & even the spread of HIV!?

Recent evidence has come to light that points to

B-pillars in the John Bennet Ramsey case...

[Robert Hall]

B-pillars are the DEVIL.

Did you know that B-pillars are responsible for the

assasination of JFK (& framing of Oswald) as well

as the Black Plague & even the spread of HIV!?

Recent evidence has come to light that points to

B-pillars in the John Bennet Ramsey case...

Now, now..68..take your meds and relax. B-pillars are GOOD..they provide strength and safety.

[Drew Dowdell]

B-pillars are the DEVIL.

Did you know that B-pillars are responsible for the

assasination of JFK (& framing of Oswald) as well

as the Black Plague & even the spread of HIV!?

Recent evidence has come to light that points to

B-pillars in the John Bennet Ramsey case...

Glass of water for Mr. Panther!

[Northstar]

This is pretty stupid to release... two years early? It looks good nonetheless, and I guess we'd see it anyways sense it's going to be in Europe. Still, it is ridiculous that we have to wait for it, even if we get the 1.4L turbo from the start as a result. It will be a case of releasing it with all the engines for once from GM, but in this case, that is the wrong choice.

[gm4life]

Darn this thing looks sharp. I had a hunch and if GM has a brain you will see this sometime in mid-late 2009. I am betting look at how EARLY the offical photos are being released. GM you can almost give yourselfs another pat on the back, ahhh let me get a look at the interior before I make my final judgement.

[Robert Hall]

Darn this thing looks sharp. I had a hunch and if GM has a brain you will see this sometime in mid-late 2009. I am betting look at how EARLY the offical photos are being released. GM you can almost give yourselfs another pat on the back, ahhh let me get a look at the interior before I make my final judgement.

Yes, these aren't like prototype photos...they look like a production version...

[ZL-1]

To anyone knowledgable: are those 1.6L and 1.8L engines the same as found in the Astra?

Edited August 21, 2008 by ZL-1

[cire]

I think it looks great. Chevrolet has finally moved beyond the compact sedan styling language that they originated with the '95 Cavalier (For some reason, the Cobalt's styling looked like an evolution of the '95 Cavalier's styling to me).

There are only two minor details about the exterior that need to be addressed:

1) My major pet peeve: the black plastic fakeout on the C-pillar. Chevy needs to lose it and have the chrome trim surround the actual window area (which would make it look more upscale). Without the fakeout, the car will take on a sort of Mazda3 profile, but that isn't a bad thing. I rather see the car somewhat resemble the Mazda3 than to see that (Sebring-esque) cheap looking black plastic slab on the C-pillar. I don't know why designers or car companies think this styling practice is acceptable or attractive.

2) I like the Chevy bowtie symbol, but does it have to be gold colored? I would rather see the bowtie hollow in the middle or solid chrome. Gold colored anything on a car looks ghetto to me.

Other than these two minor issues, I think Chevy did a fantastic job with this car. I do agree with many of you about the delay in introducing the product to the U.S. market. With the tremendous slide toward smaller cars in this market, why should the brand's home market be the last to receive it? That just ain't right!

[Robert Hall]

I think it looks great. Chevrolet has finally moved beyond the compact sedan styling language that they originated with the '95 Cavalier (For some reason, the Cobalt's styling looked like an evolution of the '95 Cavalier's styling to me).

Yes, the profile of the 2dr Cobalt strongly resembles the Cavalier..the 4dr less so.

2) I like the Chevy bowtie symbol, but does it have to be gold colored? I would rather see the bowtie hollow in the middle or solid chrome. Gold colored anything on a car looks ghetto to me.

I'd like to see Chevy bring back the chrome bowties with the blue inset.

[gm4life]

Actually I like the gold bowtie. It matches the trucks as well. It eludes class I think.

[FAPTurbo]

I absolutely hate that black plastic behind the rear-window. It looks terrible on the Chrysler Sebring, and it looks bad here, too.

Here's hoping it's a contender when it comes out... 2010 is a long time away.

[Intrepidation]

Meanwhile the impressive looking Forte will be out when?

[Intrepidation]

Why is the license plate so massive?

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Great way to encourage fans to wait for the next gen product.

Not sure why GM does this---are they afraid people will think they have nothing on the way?

I appreciate that the product is supposed to be better, but I don't get how this helps sell Cobalts in 08 & 09.

Is somebody with some insiders insight have any clue what GM's reason is for doing these early reveals? At least the Camaro had no predecessor to ruin sales while fans waited.

Market value and PR?

:shrugs:

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

FRONT: Freakin' awesome!!!

SIDE: Generic and bland.

BACK: Terrible crossbreed between a GME model and a Korean car.

I certainly hope it sells, but unless GM comes out with a more aggressive package with bigger wheels, better performance and revised taillights; not for me.

[!!!TED!!!]

Autoblog just added two pictures of the actual car at the Lordstown plant (a US spec silver model).

[SoCalCTS]

Yeah, what's up with that? It's going to be built in the US, but shipped to Europe? Seems odd...I would think they would be building it in Europe as well..

Keep the jobs in America. Our money is so devalued, GM can make a killing building these here and exporting them.

[Robert Hall]

Here's an article from the WSJ about the $500 million investment in Lordstown. Good news for my home region...

GM To Invest $500mil in Lordstown

[thegriffon]

It's not being built in the US next year and shipped to Europe. That is the 7-seat Delta MPV. Initial production of the sedan will be in Korea (October 2008 or so), followed by Russia (later in 2009) and finally the US (2010). Plants in Central Asia, Latin America, Southeast Asia, India, Ukraine, China and possibly Poland (EU) will serve markets in their regions.

You are seeing photos now because, well, Korean sales begin in several weeks and European sales in the Spring. The red car after all is a European model, hence the chunky European plates. The photos will be out there, it's pointless pretending they doesn't exist because US production and sale is further off.

The launch engines are the same as those offered in the Astra, but will be built in Korea. The 1.6 is a higher-tune version of that in the 2009 Aveo, the 1.8 the same as that offered in the Astra. The diesel is a VM Motori design upgraded and built by GM Daewoo and currently used in the Epica, Captiva, Antara and in lower-tune form in the Optra. Mercedes' 2.0 L diesel (not used by Chrysler) appears to be a DOHC version (the standard VM design is 16V SOHC), and Hyundai also licensed the design.

$350 million will be spent on the plant in Lordstown (tooling etc.) and $150 million on US homologation (a mere tenth of what a brand-new Cobalt would have cost).

[haypops]

With the arched roofline and side creases and fender arches, if it had a a quarter window instead of the lame black plastic behind the rear door, the side profile would almost be Audi-esque, like a sedan version of the A3 might look...

I think the first place this arched roof line showed up is the 2003 Saturn ION.

[Cory Wolfe]

I'm probably in the minority but I don't like much of it... at all. I see a mass of lines that don't flow well. It's a generic design with a Chevy grill popped onto it to make it look 'American' and unique or something like that. It doesn't look good. It's a bad design in my eyes.

Edited August 22, 2008 by blackviper8891

[z28luvr01]

You're not alone, BV. I'm not a fan, at all. It's not a cohesive design at all. The front looks Korean, the sides look European, and the rear looks Japanese. None of it looks American, and that's the worst part to me. Chevy's an American institution, but outside of the US it's just another car company. What would've been the harm in giving the car a thorough, distinctive American design and show the world what Chevy's really all about? When they're done right, American designs do sell overseas (HHR, Corvette, CTS come to mind). I'm thoroughly disappointed in how this car turned out, and as long as I give a crap about cars I'll never own one. I'll either run my Cobalt (whose design I much prefer to this thing) into the ground or leave the Chevy fold if I need my next car to be compact.

[frogger]

Its decent for its class but I expect the next Mazda and Honda alternatives will still have more refinement and looks that are more appealing to younger drivers. Oh and I'm still not a fan of hood seams visible on the side of vehicles.

Edited August 22, 2008 by frogger

[regfootball]

I'm probably in the minority but I don't like much of it... at all. I see a mass of lines that don't flow well. It's a generic design with a Chevy grill popped onto it to make it look 'American' and unique or something like that. It doesn't look good. It's a bad design in my eyes.

hyundai sonata greenhouse

daewoo / chevy epica rear end

semi decent front

terrible cheaply creased side character line as bad as a sentra or elantra

if chevy was trying to make this car look korean or asian they have come close to succeeding