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See the USA's favorite Chevrolet July 9
By Kalea Hall
DETROIT
The Mahoning Valley’s pride soon will be front and center for its biggest supporters and creators.
On July 9, the next-generation Chevrolet Cruze will be unveiled in Lordstown for the 4,500 General Motors plant workers there ready to build it.
“It is a day for the entire team to have a celebration for their hard-fought efforts to be able to secure this vehicle and the commitment they will put into building it,” said Glenn Johnson, president of United Auto Workers Local 1112.
The next-generation Cruze was unveiled Wednesday evening in Detroit by Mary Barra, GM’s chief executive officer. GM leaders celebrated the accomplishments of the first-generation Cruze, GM’s best-selling car, and expressed excitement for its successor’s potential success as a compact car with segment-leading features.
“I want our team members to feel the same way we did last night with the pride and excitement,” Johnson said. “I want them to feel the same excitement so it leads them with a sense of pride and a determination to do a great job on a successful launch.”
Besides plant workers, local supporters of the plant, including representatives from Chevrolet All-Star dealerships, have been invited to check out the new Cruze.
“We just feel it is important,” said Tom Mock, GM Lordstown plant communications. “We are just going to have some fun with it and give our folks a chance to see the final product.”
“I think [the team members] are going to be very excited about seeing the changes to it,” said Robert Morales, president of UAW Local 1714. “It is going to be a proud moment for all the UAW members.”
Pricing on the 2016 Cruze hasn’t been announced, and it probably won’t be until next year. It is expected to be in the same price range as the 2015 Cruze – $15,000 to $20,000, a GM spokesman said.
Sleek, dynamic and sporty are just some of the words used to describe the style of the new Cruze that will hit showrooms early next year. Connectivity was important to Chevrolet for the Cruze and other models. With the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto availability in the 2016 Cruze, drivers will be able to use navigation tools, message hands-free, make calls and listen to music.
Under its hood, the Cruze has a 1.4-liter turbo engine. That engine coupled with a leaner structure that reduces the weight of the car by 250 pounds contributes to a stronger performance, with expected 0-to-60-mph acceleration of eight seconds.
The new Cruze is roomier and gets 40 mpg highway, an increase from the 35 mpg highway today’s model gets, Chevy officials said.
Safety features on the new Cruze include 10 air bags and several crash-avoiding technologies such as side blind-zone alert, rear cross-traffic alert and lane-keep assist.
“I think when you look at every aspect of this vehicle, we have really worked to make sure we understand the customer,” Barra told the media Wednesday.
“We have listened to existing customers and talked to new customers. Understanding roominess is important; understanding safety is important; understanding connectivity is important; and I think when you look at what is in this vehicle, what is standard and what is available, you are going to see we have taken it to the next level, and it is beautifully styled and designed,” she said. “I couldn’t be more excited about this very important car.”
Kelley Blue Book Analyst Akshay Anand found the styling of the new Cruze to be much improved from the previous model.
“I think that a lot of the features that come with the car are really going to resonate with shoppers,” he said.