GM to spend $500 million to launch Cruze in U.S.

[DainBramaged]

General Motors said today it is making a $350 million investment to prepare its Lordstown, Ohio, plant to build the Chevrolet Cruze by mid-2010.

GM said it will spend a total of $500 million on its Cruze product program in the United States.

GM is spending the $500 million on "all the things that are needed to bring a new car to production," GM spokesman Tony Sapienza wrote in an e-mail to Automotive News. He did not give further specifics.

The Cruze is scheduled to sell in the U.S. in 2011 after launching in 2009 in Europe and Asia.

The Lordstown plant is building the Cruze in place of the Chevy Cobalt, which will be discontinued. The plant's 4,600 hourly workers also make the Pontiac G5 coupe.

"The Cruze will build on the already successful Chevy Cobalt," Ed Peper, GM North America vice president of Chevrolet said in a statement. "Our dealers are asking for many more Cobalts than we can build."

Through July, Cobalt sales are up 16.4 percent from last year, to 130,660 units.

The 2008 Cobalt gets up to 24 mpg in city driving and 33 mpg on the highway. Peper said the Cruze is a replacement with fuel efficiency that consumers now demand.

"Our goal for the Chevrolet Cruze is to lead in fuel economy in this very competitive car segment," CEO Rick Wagoner said in a statement.

Earlier Thursday, GM offered an early look at the Cruze, which is scheduled to make its official debut in October at the Paris auto show. The car has a two-tier grille and wraparound headlights that look similar to Chevrolet's Malibu sedan.

"Our goal in designing Cruze was to be bold, not evolutionary," chief designer Taewan Kim said in a statement.

The Cruze is scheduled to go on sale in March 2009 in Europe, where it will be available with 1.6 liter and 1.8-liter engines and a 2.0-liter turbodiesel.

The Vindicator newspaper in Youngstown, Ohio, reports that the state of Ohio is providing GM with more than $80 million in incentives to build the Cruze in Lordstown.

GM made a similar investment in Lordstown in 2002 when it committed to renovating its assembly plant there for making Cobalts.



http://www.autonews.com/article/20080821/COPY01/113531/1130 (subs only).

Jobs are saved in Ohio, a new platform with over 40MPG WITHOUT batteries will be available here, and everyone will have a slice of pie.

[Vincardog]

1. Sign me up for one of the over 40MPG ones

[madrchsod]

2. another picture

similar model in europe-opel astra

[DainBramaged]

3. That's the new Saturn, available now

http://www.saturn.com/saturn/vehicles/astra/5door/overview.jsp?seo=goo_|_2008_Saturn_Retention_|_IMG_Saturn_ASTRA_|_ASTRA_General_|_astra



Cruze is new, not a European carryover

[madrchsod]

4. i got the picture from the toyota forum....figures!

gm has the cars but as we know we can`t build shit in this country...give us the tools and we can.

[CRF450]

5. The Cruze will be built in Lordstown, OH

Same place where the Cobalt and G5 is being built.

[DainBramaged]

7. People don't like to read posts, just the titles

I made sure it stated CLEARLY that the car was going to be built in Lordstown. Some folks just like to throw shit at clean windows.

[DainBramaged]

6. What kind of a crack is "we can't build shit in this country" I FUCKING beg to differ

As a UAW member who takes PRIDE in his work, I take great offense to that stupid ass remark you made.

Go piss on some imports jack weed.

[madrchsod]

9. i`ve heard this since i started working in the steel working industry

in the early 70`s. it started with the south koreans taking our fastern industry because we were paid to much and were lazy union workers...then it was my industry, steel forgings and when i was lucky enough to get another union job in a steel mill the fucking chinese under cut our price on beam and ingots...

i read here on this board and other places that we can`t make shit.they give us what we have to work with..it is`t our fault that Chrysler can`t make a decent transmission or the gm transmission gum up and seize. it`s not our fault the big three won`t buy quality nuts and bolts like honda does or designs interiors of their cars that actually make sense...

i took pride in the forgings and the steel beams i helped make and it pisses me off when people cut us down because we were or are union and take pride in our jobs. i feel like a defeated man sometimes because i know what was done to my fellow workers and i all for the name of profit. i hope your generation and those who follow can rebuild the unions in this country. we can not let them blame us anymore.

[high density]

10. ??? That first pic is the new Mazda 6

[alfredo]

13. GM has used Opel for the Catera. Not sure how much was Opel, and

how much GM.

Mazda makes some quick machines.

[jmowreader]

8. I like the car, but am not crazy about the name

Also, are they going to sell the diesel in the US? This may sound Totally Crazy, but I would really enjoy seeing an automaker ship a diesel car that's preplumbed for a WVO system in the trunk...and to offer the WVO gear as an option.

[RB TexLa]

11. Same post for this thread about it. They sure seem certain they will be around in 2011.

[Mr Rabble]

12. Free market my ass. Look at this quote:

"...the state of Ohio is providing GM with more than $80 million in incentives to build the Cruze in Lordstown."

I will be first in line to buy one of these, but I hope the good people of Ohio are getting a break on this car to compensate for the $80 billion in their taxes are going to GM's coffers.