2011 Chevrolet Cruze Video

While not a particularly memorable car initially, the 2011 Chevy Cruze will hit production with enough improvements to make it a highly intriguing car. There’s no word on pricing yet, but GM seems determined to add enough attractive features to make the Cruze a hit. Cars.com’s Kelsey Mays takes you through GM’s competitor to the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic — with the intriguing news that the Cruze may get nearly 40 mpg. And you can watch it in the HD setting on YouTube.

Up Close: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze

Amid hundreds of chanting GM fans — mostly employees, family members and retirees — The General unveiled the U.S.-bound Chevy Cruze as part of a cavalcade of concept and production cars. Alas, while certain elements (namely the prospect of 39 mpg on the highway) are promising enough, I’m not sold on the Cruze’s overall execution.

Chevy Orlando Coming to U.S. in 2011

Chevy’s answer to the Mazda5 and Kia Rondo is coming to the U.S. in two years. The Orlando is a compact minivan based on the Chevy Cruze compact car, which debuts next year in the U.S. The show car is powered by a small diesel engine, but expect the U.S. version to get the same 1.4-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine that will power the Cruze. Chevy says that engine will deliver better fuel economy than its current Cobalt, which gets 37 mpg on the highway.

Moving a heavier vehicle like this small van will likely impact fuel economy versus the same engine in the Cruze. However, the sales success of the Mazda5 in the past year proves there is a market for these vehicles in the U.S. If gas heads back toward $4 a gallon, there could be a much bigger group of potential buyers.

More photos and info on the Orlando

Sign of the Times: GM Cancels L.A. Auto Show Reveals

GM announced it has canceled its plans to host a press conference at next week’s L.A. auto show. Originally, the company had planned to unveil its all-new Buick LaCrosse sedan and Cadillac SRX crossover at the show. Instead, the company says it has decided to postpone those reveals until a later date — we assume the Detroit auto show in January — because any new models would be overshadowed by financial news. You know — the kind about government bailouts and the possible collapse of the auto industry.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be new GM products to see in L.A., though. A restyled Pontiac G6 lineup will be on hand, and it will also be the first time most people will get to see the production Chevy Volt, Chevy Cruze and Chevy Camaro at a major consumer show. GM will also display the Saab 9-X Air concept that debuted in Paris earlier this year. Stay tuned for our coverage of the L.A. auto show next week. We also expect more news to come over the next few days.

GM scraps plans for news conference at upcoming L.A. Auto Show (The Detroit News)

More Chevy Cruze Photos

We’ve been following the release of the new Chevy Cruze for a few weeks now, and GM just released more images of its next-generation compact car, including interior shots. The inside looks to be pretty modern for Chevy. There also appears to be at least three interior color choices, including blue, red and black. Check out more photos below.

More Chevy Cruze News

GM Building New Four-Cylinder Engine, Factory Too

This morning, GM announced it will double its four-cylinder engine production globally, with a majority of that increase coming to North America. This product-planning shift was expected, as was the $370 million engine plant GM is going to build in Flint, Mich., to produce its new 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine. That engine will power GM’s upcoming Cruze compact sedan and also serves as the gasoline range extender for the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid.

The engine in the Cruze will be turbocharged to maximize efficiency. Turbochargers are often used to boost performance. The Cruze’s specs are projected to be 140 hp and 148 pounds-feet of torque, which is roughly equivalent to a Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic. GM says the Cruze will likely be a fuel leader in its segment — the 2009 Corolla and Civic get 27/35 mpg and 25/36 mpg city/highway, respectively, with their base engines and automatic transmissions. GM isn’t claiming the Cruze will definitely top the segment because a lot can happen in two years. 

The catch, of course, is that the factory isn’t built yet. That’s why Europe will get the Cruze in 2009 — it’ll use a diesel engine there — and the U.S. will have to wait until 2010. 

In 2011, GM will put the new turbo engine into two other yet-to-be-announced U.S. models. Possibilities include the recently revealed Chevy Orlando compact crossover, which is built on the Cruze platform, or the next-generation Saturn Astra hatchback.

More Cruze News

First Look: Chevy Orlando Concept

Chevy just released the first images of a new concept slated to debut at the Paris auto show next month. Dubbed “Orlando” — it seems automakers are cutting back funding for their name-generation departments — the compact utility vehicle will seat seven and is based on the upcoming Cruze global small-car platform.

Think of this as Chevy’s answer to the Mazda5. Or think of it as the vehicle that may replace the HHR in Chevy showrooms. However, this is more of a global car for GM, and the U.S. likely won’t be its strongest market, despite sales spike for the Mazda5 and the similar Kia Rondo during the recent rise in gas prices.

The company says the seating can be rearranged to produce a “large cargo area.” Expect more details on dimensions and better photos next month. For now, check out a larger exterior image and a shot of the interior below. 

GM Slows Cruze to Wait for Engine

With consumers so concerned about fuel economy, why is General Motors waiting two years to bring out the Chevrolet Cruze, the replacement for the compact Chevy Cobalt?

"We're waiting on the new world car because that gives us time to develop the 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder for it,” Bob Lutz, GM vice chairman and head of global product development, said at a Chicago preview of GM's 2009 model lineup. “We expect to get more than 40 mpg highway, better than with some hybrids."

"The 1.4-liter is going to be more high torque than high horsepower: high torque at the low end for power takeoffs and quick acceleration while still getting high mileage,” Lutz said. “The 1.4 liter goes on sale in Europe in a couple weeks.” The Cruze is expected to be available at the end of 2010 for the 2011 model year.

More Chevy Cruze Photos

Because people asked for them, we’ve tracked down a few photos from GM’s announcement of the new Chevrolet Cruze yesterday and added them to the gallery of photos we showed you then. The Cruze will go on sale in 2010 in the U.S. and this spring in Europe.

GM says the Cruze will be bigger than its competitors — we’re guessing that means the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla — with a twin cockpit interior much like the new Malibu. There's no word on what engine will be available in the U.S., but expect it to be a new power plant, not what's used in the current Cobalt or European versions of the Cruze. As previously reported the Cruze will get an ultra-efficient 1.4-liter turbocharged four cylinder. We apologize for the error. The photos are below.

First Look: 2011 Chevy Cruze

GM released the first full-size images of the Chevy Cruze compact sedan that will go on sale in 2010 as a 2011 model. The Cruze will most likely replace the Cobalt in Chevy’s line-up and closely resembles the new Chevy Malibu in the looks department. In fact, we’d say it almost looks like a shrunken Malibu with some BMW influence thrown in. Considering the new Malibu is widely praised and is selling well, this is probably not a bad thing. However, having to wait another two years for a competitive compact sedan from GM is not a good thing. Full size images are below.