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Step right up for your chance to be first to cruise in Cruze
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CRUZE CONTROL: An Asian-built Chevrolet Cruze is displayed at the Canfield Fair. The Cruze will be manufactured at the GM Lordstown plant. First Place Bank announced a contest Thursday in which three people will win the first cars built there.
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CRUZE CAMPAIGN: First Place Bank Chief Executive Steve Lewis, at the Canfield Fair, announces the giveaway contest for three Chevrolet Cruze cars. He made the announcement during opening ceremonies at the fair Thursday.
The first test models of the Lordstown-built auto will be built later this month.
By Don Shilling
CANFIELD — You could be the owner of the first Chevrolet Cruze built during the car’s official launch April 11.
First Place Bank announced a contest Thursday in which three randomly selected people will win the first cars built during the launch at the General Motors’ Lordstown complex.
Entry forms are available at any First Place branch or at Race2FirstPlaceBank.com.
Steven Lewis, chief executive of the Warren-based bank, explained the contest to a crowd at the Canfield Fair after the fair’s opening ceremonies. He was joined by management and union officials from the GM complex.
“We are extremely proud that this new American car will be built here,” Lewis said.
From September through April, a name will be selected each month from each of the banks three regions — Mahoning Valley, Cleveland and Michigan.
That will make 24 finalists selected over the eight months. In early May, the finalists will be called together, and each one will receive a key. The three who receive keys that work in the cars will be the winners.
The contest is open to anyone who is older than 18. Online entry forms must be returned to a First Place branch.
A Cruze is being displayed at the fair, but that model is one that was built in Asia, said John Donahoe, complex manager at Lordstown. The Cruze is being launched in other countries this year, but its launch in the U.S. comes next year.
Donahoe said Lordstown will begin building test models Sept. 24. The complex will build 100 test models from September until the end of the year.
The Lordstown-built models will be shown to the public at the Los Angeles Auto Show in December.
From January to March, it will produce 500 models that are considered “saleable.” These won’t go to the general public, however. They will be sent to GM test tracks and other organizations for safety testing.
GM has completed a $351 million upgrade of the complex to prepare for the Cruze launch. Included was the installation of 800 robots and reconfiguration of the assembly line to accommodate Cruze production and perhaps other models later on.
“We’re ready,” Donahoe said.
GM also is calling back 1,050 hourly and salaried workers Oct. 5 to restart a second shift of production at Lordstown.
shilling@vindy.com