Technically, the current generation of the Chevrolet Cruze went on sale in the United States and Canada in the fall of 2010 as a 2011 model, but the compact sedan model was first introduced as the Daewoo Lacetti in South Korea in 2008 before GM discarded the Daewoo nameplate and replaced it worldwide with the bow-tie brand.
Therefore, for General Motors, the Cruze has essentially entered its fourth year in production, which means the company has already started work on its replacement.
On Thursday, GM confirmed the news that it is developing a new generation of the Cruze adding that it will invest $220 million (€175 million) for tooling and equipment to build the compact model in two northeast Ohio plants. GM said that the move will help retain more than 5,000 jobs at facilities in Lordstown and Parma.
Since production of the current Cruze began in September of 2010, the Lordstown Complex, with support from the metal center in the Cleveland suburb of Parma, has built more than 500,000 examples of Chevy’s top-selling compact model. Overall, GM has manufactured more than 1.6 million Cruzes worldwide.
“Thanks to northeast Ohio’s supportive business climate, we’re able to build on a great foundation and steer the Chevrolet Cruze into the next generation,” said GM Manufacturing Manager Arvin Jones.
The Detroit carmaker said that the production timing of the next-generation Cruze will be announced later.
However, Jones noted that the new model “will offer new exterior and interior styling, improved fuel economy and an improved interior compartment and more storage space”.
CURRENT-GEN 2013 CHEVROLET CRUZE
