Chevrolet unveils lighter, sharper Cruze sedan

The second generation Chevrolet Cruze, a car global brand chief Alan Batey called “arguably (Chevrolet’s) most important vehicle,” will keep its sedan looks—at least for now.

While Automotive News reported a hatchback Cruze will indeed be offered in global markets, including North America, the redesigned compact will launch as a sedan.

The new Cruze bears little resemblance to the Chinese version unveiled last year, sporting a more muscular look that ties in with the four other new models unveiled this year—the Spark, Volt, Malibu and Camaro.

Inside, the car receives a more modern look to match its exterior aesthetics, and it will be one of 16 GM models to be equipped with Google CarPlay and Android Auto, allowing drivers to pair their phones with their vehicles seamlessly using familiar operating systems.

North American cars will come powered by an all-new Ecotec 1.4-litre direct-injected, turbocharged four-cylinder that makes 153 horsepower and 177 lb.-ft. of torque, according General Motors’ vice-president of global powertrain operations, Dan Nicholson.

Equipped with either an all-new six-speed automatic or six-speed manual transmission, the gas-powered Cruze will improve its current fuel economy of an EPA-estimated 36 mpg to 40 mpg—equivalent to less than 6 L/100 km.

The car is nearly three inches longer and some 250 lbs. lighter than the outgoing version, with the new automatic transmission alone weighing 24 lbs. less than the current gearbox.

Nicholson also announced an all-new 1.6-litre turbodiesel powerplant will be available in the new Cruze some time after the car’s launch.

Known as the “flüsterdiesel,” which translates from German as “whisper diesel,” GM powertrain execs on hand for the unveil at Detroit’s famed Fillmore theatre said the engine is quiet enough to be mistaken as gas-powered.

And Nicholson made Chevrolet’s intentions clear with both the gasoline- and diesel-powered Cruze, taking aim at the Volkswagen Jetta with a car he called “clearly a superior product.”

More than three million Cruzes have been sold globally since the model’s 2008 launch, making it Chevy’s hottest seller since its 2008 launch.