Cruze to take the stage

By Kalea Hall | May 30, 2015 at 12:02a.m.

LORDSTOWN

The Mahoning Valley’s popular compact car soon will be center stage.

General Motors plans to debut the rebooted version of the automaker’s best-selling, Lordstown-built Chevrolet Cruze on June 24 in Detroit.

“I think our customers will be very pleased with the outcome,” said Glenn Johnson, president of United Auto Workers Local 1112.

The Cruze was launched in September 2010, and month after month continued to post impressive numbers.

Concern in 2010 was to make sure it was a “perfect car,” said then-GM plant manager Bob Parcell.

GM counted on the Cruze to help improve its performance in the small-car segment.

In its first year, the Cruze easily became known as a leader in the compact segment, and for a time it was the No. 1-selling car in America.

In April 2011, Cruze sales went above the 25,000 mark. By June 2013, sales hit 32,871 – the best on record for the car. And last year, four years after its launch, the Cruze nearly hit that record again with 32,393 sales in May 2014.

The car that competes in a competitive segment and against the trending small and midsize utility vehicles continued to bring in sales figures above 20,000 this year after a refresh in 2014.

Also in 2014, Lordstown workers rolled out the millionth Cruze, which later was raffled off to a Lordstown worker.

Last month, 20,947 Cruzes were delivered. GM will release May sales figures Tuesday.

Johnson said the Cruze’s popularity means “we are getting a lot of repeat customers.” Some customers are going on their second and third Cruze, he said.

“It is a testament to the design team and to the [Lordstown] team members who build it every day,” he said.

Robert Morales, president of UAW Local 1714, hopes that momentum from the first-generation Cruze transfers to the next generation.

“We are excited about the new product and want to get it to the customers,” he said.

To Morales, the top sales figures “speaks volumes for the product” built here in the Valley.

“The workforce in Lordstown is committed to build the best product they can,” he said.

Both Morales and Johnson will be in attendance at the June 24 unveiling of the new Cruze, and so will GM CEO Mary Barra and other GM leaders.

This week, Chevrolet announced 14 models will offer Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility.

The 2016 Cruze will have the 8-inch version of the MyLink infotainment system compatible only with Apple CarPlay in the beginning of 2016. Android Auto may be available later in 2016.

Apple Carplay uses iPhone features and allows drivers to make calls, send and receive messages and listen to music from the touchscreen or by voice via Siri.

The Cruze is considered an entry-level vehicle in terms of size and price, so “it is going to be really, really important to GM,” Greg Greenwood of Greenwood Chevrolet said.

“That is the entry to the whole corporation,” Greenwood said.

Given that, Greenwood is excited about the next-generation Cruze.

“I think it will be real attractive,” he said. “So many people leased the Cruze locally and nationally, so we have this pent-up demand [for it].”