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Cruze to offer four models with 40 mpg
By GRACE WYLER
lordstown
The Chevrolet Cruze, General Motors’ highly anticipated compact car, will cost just under $17,000 when it hits showrooms later this month.
The car, which is being built at the GM complex here, will start at $16,995, about $2,000 more than the Chevy Cobalt it replaces.
The Cruze is one of the most important vehicles GM is launching this year, union officials said.
The Lordstown plant is GM’s “star right now,” said Jim Graham, president of United Auto Workers Local 1112, which represents workers at the assembly plant.
“We are the cornerstone of General Motors going into the future,” Graham said. “That plant, our product, are the future of General Motors.”
David Green, president of UAW Local 1714, which represents workers at GM’s fabrication plant in Lordstown, added that the work force at the complex is acutely aware of how important the product is to the success of both the plant and the company.
“There has been no other product out of Lordstown that has been this important, and few products out of the corporation have been this important,” Green said. “Our members are clear that all eyes are on us.”
Green, along with several local dealers, was pleasantly surprised by the pricing of the Cruze.
“It is really nice to hear that the base price is well under $20,000,” said David Sabolsky, general sales manager for Spitzer Chevrolet in North Jackson. “I was under the impression that it was going to be a little higher because of what this car can do.”
Although the Cruze base model will be more expensive than low-end models of the Ford Focus, the Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla, there will be no comparison between the quality of the Cruze and other compact cars on the market, Sabolsky said.
“The quality that this car is going to have, up against the Corolla, up against the Honda Civic — it is not even in the same playing field,” Sabolsky said.
GM plans to launch four models of the Cruze:
The base model, the Cruze LS, will have a standard 1.8-liter Ecotec engine and six-speed manual transmission. The LS will have the standard safety features and standard convenience features including power windows, power door locks with remote keyless entry and a driver information center.
The Cruze LT will have a suggested price of $18,895. The LT model will have a 1.4-liter Ecotec turbo engine, six-speed automatic transmission and 16-inch wheels.
The Cruze Eco, the vehicle’s most fuel- efficient model, will start at $18,895. The Eco is expected to get 40 miles per gallon on the highway by means of its 17-inch alloy wheels with ultra low-rolling resistance tires and an enhanced aerodynamic performance package. This model will have the 1.4 liter Ecotec turbo engine and six-speed manual transmission,
GM has said that the Cruze Eco will be launched in the fourth quarter of this year.
The Cruze LTZ will start at $22,695, with a 1.4-liter Ecotec turbo engine and six-speed automatic transmission. The LTZ package includes 18-inch wheels, leather interior, remote vehicle start, ultrasonic rear-parking assist and other features.
GM hopes the Cruze, which will be pitted against other vehicles in the competitive small-car segment, will attract new compact-car buyers looking for a fuel efficient vehicle.