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Lordstown's next-gen Cruze has arrived
By KALEA HALL
khall@vindy.com
AUSTINTOWN
Gallery
Open the door of the new Chevrolet Cruze, and you will see a sticker, or what could be considered a birthmark.
The red, white and blue sticker reads “Built with Pride in
Lordstown, Ohio USA.”
It also highlights the two United Auto Workers unions at the plant, Local 1112 and Local 1714, that represent the 4,500 workers at the General Motors Lordstown Plant where the next-generation Cruze is built.
On Monday, the 2016 Cruze spread its wings outside of Lords-
town as it made its way to dealerships across the country.
“It’s like the birth of your child,” said Glenn Johnson, president of Local 1112, who represents 3,000 assembly plant workers. “It makes you proud – proud for our members to see that come to fruition.”
Seeing the new Cruze gives workers a reminder that they will have a job and they will be able to “live a little bit of the American Dream,” Johnson said.
Since the unveiling of the newly designed Cruze in June 2015, and even before, anticipation for the new car has built up. The anticipation runs particularly high in the Mahoning Valley.
“Now, our customers are getting to see what the hype is all about,” said Robert Morales, president of Local 1714, who represents the fabrication plant’s nearly 1,400 workers. “We believe in the product we built. We believe it is what our customers are asking for.”
In that case, the customers asked for a new design, more interior room, additional safety features and enhanced technology. The new Cruze was given the title “sophisticated sophomore” by GM. It is to build off the successful run of its predecessor. The first-generation Cruze launched at Lordstown in September 2010 and quickly became a success story, stealing the limelight from other compact cars in a competitive segment.
“It became the core of our entry-
level presence,” said Greg Greenwood of Austintown’s Greenwood Chevrolet.
The first Cruze came with the styling and safety that customers wanted. “It was very current, very progressive,” Greenwood said.
And the new Cruze is, too.
“I think it’s more attractive,” Greenwood said.
It has a lengthy list of selling points, including better fuel efficiency. The LT and LS trims will achieve an EPA-estimated 42 miles per gallon on the highway, which is unsurpassed in the segment.
The new Cruze also has enhanced connectivity with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to easily access navigation, hands-free texting, calling and music and safety features that consumers may not think about in compact cars such as lane-keep assist and forward-collision alerts.
Greenwood received 10 new Cruzes this week and has sold two. On Wednesday, he had an additional 40 on the way.
Tom Brittain, president and dealer at Brittain Motors in East Palestine, awaited his Cruzes on Thursday.
“Everything that Lordstown has built has continuously improved from the beginning,” he said. “We have no doubt that the new Cruze will be even better than what we expected.”
He noted the technology in the new Cruze as a top-selling point to the younger generation. It’s also priced competitively.
The Cruze’s pricing starts at $17,495 for the Cruze L manual transmission and goes up to $23,995 for the Cruze premier automatic.
“We continue to expect high quality, and we are sure that GM is going to make sure that our Valley is well taken care of,” Brittain said. “As long we make great cars, we will have great employment and a great economy.”