Chevrolet Cruze: Viva La Holden

Motoring Channel Staff - 1/September/2008

Melbourne, Australia — What you see here is the new Chevrolet Cruze, which will bear a Holden badge and possibly a different name when it comes here in 2009.

Being launched at the 2008 Paris Motor Show in October as a global vehicle to be sold in almost all international markets, the new small car will replace the unloved Holden Viva in Australia.

The arrival of the Cruze can't come soon enough, because the Viva is currently outsold by its more expensive sister vehicle, the Holden Astra.

But even though the Astra ($21,990) is outselling the budget-priced Viva ($18,490), Holden will continue it's two-model approach to the small car market.

Compared to the Viva, the Chevrolet Cruze shows off a much bolder, more contemporary design that was conceived South Korea with input from GM's German establishments.

To be initially sold in Europe, the Chevy Cruze boasts a somewhat angular design with plenty of edge, not unlike the Chevrolet Camaro, and is one of the more appealing designs to come out of GM's Korean operation.

It also has a smoothly sloping rear end that gives it a sporty, almost coupe-like appearance, and though the rear end design is fairly uninspired, overall its a strong design.

"Our goal with the design of the Cruze was to be bold, not evolutionary," said the Cruze's chief designer, Taewan Kim explains. 

"We wanted to take a big step forward, making a strong design statement for Chevrolet products around the world," stated Kim.

Expected to be slightly bigger than the Viva, the Cruze will be about four and half metres in length and unlike some rebadged Daewoo models of recent times (such as the Barina) GM is expected to deliver a much safer vehicle.

Like the much improved new Holden Epica, the upcoming Cruze models will be offered with 6-speed automatic transmissions and the same diesel engine from the Epica will also be offered, giving the cars low emissions and high drivability.

This diesel engine is a 2.0-litre turbo with 110kW of power and 320Nm. 

General Motors is expected to include other engines, including a couple of 4-cylinder petrol engines.

The entry-level 1.6-litre engine will output 82kW (112hp) and will be the 'fuel efficient' petrol engine, while the 1.8-litre unit will more powerful with 103kW (140hp).

Not to be confused with the Holden Cruze compact AWD from the early 2000s, the Chevrolet Cruze will probably be renamed the Holden Viva.

It will be launched in Europe in the first quarter of 2009, and will be rolled out in other regions, such as Australia, throughout the rest of that year.

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