A couple of weeks ago, GM released the first official photos of the new Chevy Cruze compact and we've been seeing camouflaged examples for months. Now, one of our readers has spotted an almost completely uncovered Cruze in a parking lot in Rochester, NY. The Cruze will make its auto show debut next month in Paris and we expect to see it Monday in Detroit. The only disguise on this example is some duct tape over the bow-tie on the grille. The Cruze will be available globally starting Europe (why do they always get the good stuff first?) next spring. This will be the first car coming off the next-generation version of GM's Delta compact platform that will be shared with the next Astra, the Orlando MPV and, of course, the Volt. Thanks to Kyle for the tip!

[Source: Photobucket]

At a press conference in Lordstown, OH this afternoon, GM CEO Rick Wagoner officially announced that the Chevrolet Cruze would be built at the plant alongside the existing Cobalt. Wagoner alluded to this in June during the company's annual meeting. GM will invest $350 million in the Lordstown plant to tool up for production of the new compact sedan that will also spawn numerous other small cars. An additional $150 million will also be spent launching the Cruze including a new line to build the 1.4L turbo four cylinder engine in Flint MI. Cruzes will also be built in Europe and Asia for sale in those regions. It's expected that the Cruze with the new engine and 6-speed automatic transmission could achieve as much as 40 mpg on the highway.


[Source: General Motors]

The General, along with the rest of the American automakers, has a long established history of making the most profits from the largest vehicles. Small cars from the Detroit 3 have therefore fallen way behind the imports when it comes to desirability. GM Global Design Chief Ed Welburn went so far as to say, "In North America, we never did a good small car." Ouch. Instead, all the best designs come from overseas, which GM has plenty of experience in. "Today, we are able to draw on resources of design centers in Korea, Brazil and Europe who really know how to do small cars," says Welburn. Like the ones who designed the Aveo?

So, if the Cobalt and Aveo are not good small cars, at least they'd better be cheap, right? Sure, but expect that to change too as upcoming replacements for its aging small cars will be more expensive than current models. The Chevrolet Cruze, not expected in the U.S. for at least a few more years, will cost an extra few thousand dollars compared to the Cobalt. Hopefully by then, the Beat will be properly engineered for the American market as well.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]

Chevrolet's next new compact car will make its debut in October at the Paris Motor Show with a new name. The Chevy Cruze is the Chevrolet brand version of GM's global compact car platform known as Delta. The Cruze will be built in a number of locations around the world including Lordstown, Ohio beginning in spring 2009. When the Cruze launches in the U.S. it will initially be built alongside the existing Cobalt, which will likely be offered only in cheaper low content versions for another year or two. The Cruze will be powered by GM's new turbocharged 1.4L four cylinder that will eventually see use in a variety of GM small cars. The platform of the Cruze will also form the underpinnings of the next generation Opel/Saturn Astra and the Chevrolet Volt. The GM press release is after the jump.

[Source: General Motors]