2011 Chevrolet Cruze delayed. Again

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The US version of the Cruze has been delayed by 3 month. It will now be out by “the 3rd quarter” or 2010.
The Cruze has been on sale in other markets for a year, so I’m not sure what could go wrong.

This is a car GM really needs. Much more than the Camaro or the Volt.
This could really compete with the Civic and Corolla. Especially the new 1.4 Liter Trurbo that is supposed to get amazing gas mileage.

We’ll see…

Conversation 38 comments

  1. Hopefully these delays are the result of meaningful improvements for the domestic market. I have yet to be remotely impressed with the feeble vehicles that have emerged from GM's Asian partnerships. I'm going to reserve judgement on the exterior design… especially the rear, which looks very Korean. But the interior looks like it could be a class leader. This is a critical launch, and GM really needs it to be a homerun.

  2. Better to get it 100% right before launch. GM cannot afford even a minor quality slip on these new vehicles.

  3. It doesn't make a difference anyway.

    By the time this is launched, it will no longer be competitive or even that fresh anymore.

    The new Civic will have just launched (or launch one year later if the rumored redesign are true) and sink Chevys ship again.

    The overall reviews for the Cruze haven't been that great.

  4. Great looking small car, BUT!!! it is ruined with that fake plastic window in the back. Makes it look soooooo cheap.

  5. Okay.

    It's a Daewoo. And on top of that, it's going to be a 2 year old Daewoo by the time it comes here.

    Not interested, thanks.

  6. The stars and moon have not aligned right. The meteorologists called for fog and drizzle. Com'on folks, GM's launch is like NASA's launching its space shuttle! Everything has to be right …

  7. I think it looks better (especially the interior) than the larger Malibu. I do think this will sell for far below MSRP, and might be a great value for advanced technology (assuming it's reliable).

    I agree w/ Vince – this is a bread + butter car, and the Camaro and Volt are halo cars, sold in much lower volumes. Hopefully they're improving the fit + finish.

    BTW, does anyone know what Honda plans to do with the next generation Civic? I'm a big fan of the current generation.

  8. It's funny that we in Germany have this car already, although no one was waiting for it 😉 I haven't seen more than two I think in all this time. Doesn't look bad though…

  9. "Matt said…

    I think it looks better (especially the interior) than the larger Malibu. I do think this will sell for far below MSRP, and might be a great value for advanced technology (assuming it's reliable).

    I agree w/ Vince – this is a bread + butter car, and the Camaro and Volt are halo cars, sold in much lower volumes. Hopefully they're improving the fit + finish.

    BTW, does anyone know what Honda plans to do with the next generation Civic? I'm a big fan of the current generation.

    October 29, 2009 2:49 PM"

    Matt,

    Honda will more than likely keep the 9th Gen Civic around the same size as the current one.

    They will focus on making it more efficient and lighter, but safer all at the same time.

    I think the 9th Gen Civic will probably be the best vehicle in its segment just as the current Civic is.

    The Mazda is a great vehicle, it just isn't well rounded.

  10. The car looks good with these wheels. But 0% of them will have nice alloy wheels. Most Cruzes will have cheap hubcaps that look wobbly after a year. And this burgundy is a color that they should lose forever. It looks like something you'd see on a Buick Century or an old beat up Lexus ES. I think people are being silly about the black window fill plate on the rear. But I do think the car would look more German and less Korean without it. And that would be a good thing. GM could put the $1.50 toward something else.

  11. We have it here in Australia and it's crap. It's just a slightly better looking Daewoo. It's still a tinny, cheap piece of rubbish. They canned the Astra here because it was getting too expensive and all we have now is the Holden Cruze sedan but of course Aussies still buy them in droves despite being a new name. We also have the Epica, Barina and Captiva – all ex Daewoos and all total garbage…i'd rather an overpriced astra than something that has the quality of a cereal box toy….

  12. Best to delay if that'll get it right from the start. What GM doesn't need is a problem-plagued mess in a new car introduction. At least there's no need to waste time, effort, and money on a Pontiac version of the same car (nor Saturn, either).

    Not bad looking but why the Sebring "C" pillar? That's the ugliest nonsense currently in use in auto design: a painted or plastic overlay to look like a quarter window in the "C" pillar. How cheap and tawdry can they get?

  13. Im sure it does not perform to the typical German demand…This is not a precise ride.

    They are having problems getting part suppliers up in the US.

  14. If GM is holding back the US release due to needing to get it 100 percent right, then why have they released it to all these other countries? It reminds me of a Cobalt and will probably be a star with rental fleets.

  15. Everyone ALWAYS says that GMs new car is going to be the "Civic Killer".

    They said it with all generations of the Cavalier, they said it with the Cobalt, and they are saying it with the Cruze.

    They have failed each and every single time. Daewoo can't make a quality small car and GM can't either, what are people expecting here???

    The Cruze has NOT gotten good reviews so far, and this car WILL be cheapened for the US.

  16. To the person at 5:47am.

    GM can't even design a small car on their own, they have to outsource to Daewoo who sucks as well…

    AHAHAHAH

    Absolutely right.

  17. "GM can't even design a small car on their own, they have to outsource to Daewoo who sucks as well… "

    Except that Daewoo only exists in name only. It's a part of GM. So how is that outsourcing?

  18. I was in a Cobalt for the first time last week. I was really impressed. I like it better than my Civic (which I get a little more sick of each month). I paid a LOT more to buy the Civic, without ever considering a GM product. Now I feel like a total idiot. And a MUCH POORER idiot than I would have been, had I bought the Cobalt. Next time I'll ignore the moronic gossop of ignorant "friends" and do my OWN research! (At least I wised-up after the Civic's 8th trip to the Honda Dealer and started have the same repairs done elsewhere for MUCH less!! A word to the wise — IGNORE the HYPE!!!

  19. Anybody who thinks Honda, Kia, Toyota, Hyundai, Suburau, Dodge, Mercury or VW has a better looking interior than this — for Under $25k; is artistically blind as a bat. This is a darn nice looking interior– no matter WHOSE it is!!! And no, I don't sell GM, and I don't even own a GM currently. I am, however, an artist!

  20. I agree with the sentiments of Anon 10/30 8:19…unfortunately I think we're running out of consumers who don't pay attention to blog snark.

  21. "Anonymous said…

    I was in a Cobalt for the first time last week. I was really impressed. I like it better than my Civic (which I get a little more sick of each month). I paid a LOT more to buy the Civic, without ever considering a GM product. Now I feel like a total idiot. And a MUCH POORER idiot than I would have been, had I bought the Cobalt. Next time I'll ignore the moronic gossop of ignorant "friends" and do my OWN research! (At least I wised-up after the Civic's 8th trip to the Honda Dealer and started have the same repairs done elsewhere for MUCH less!! A word to the wise — IGNORE the HYPE!!!

    October 30, 2009 8:19 PM"

    This guy is full of crap.

    No one on earth is impressed with the Cobalt aside from the SS.

    I was behind a newer Cobalt a couple months ago and the exhaust had rotted out already.

    1. Civic will be worth a LOT more than the rental fleet destined Cobalt.

    2. Civic is more reliable than the POS Cobalt.

    3. Civic has a MUUUCCHHHH better interior than the Rubbermaid bin interior of the Cobalt. Did you even notice the abysmal fit and finish and quality of plastics????

    4. Four speed automatic and crude powertrains in the Cobalt.

    Seriously, I could go on all day long.

  22. "Anonymous said…

    "GM can't even design a small car on their own, they have to outsource to Daewoo who sucks as well… "

    Except that Daewoo only exists in name only. It's a part of GM. So how is that outsourcing?

    October 30, 2009 5:52 PM"

    Because Daewoo is its OWN company and not wholly owned by GM, chief.

    The Aveo is fully a Daewoo product, and not a GM.

  23. "Civic is more reliable than the POS Cobalt." -So send me a check for even 1/4 of what I paid for my Honda and you can have it! (Not that I'll buy a Cobalt, but I sure as heck wont be dumb enough to buy another Honda! (The 33MPG/$23k Malibu looks aaawwfullly nice though!!!)

  24. "Anonymous said…

    "Civic is more reliable than the POS Cobalt." -So send me a check for even 1/4 of what I paid for my Honda and you can have it! (Not that I'll buy a Cobalt, but I sure as heck wont be dumb enough to buy another Honda! (The 33MPG/$23k Malibu looks aaawwfullly nice though!!!)

    October 31, 2009 12:21 PM"

    HOW has your Civic been unreliable???

    I have multiple friends with Civics, one of which has over 150,000 miles and it hasn't had a single problem.

  25. October 31, 2009 8:00 AM

    If we wanted to buy a Korean car we would buy a decent quality one like a Hyundai not this Daewoo rubbish.

  26. YOU SAID: "I have multiple friends with Civics" SO, … I SAY: I guess you're not exactly UNbiased when it comes to Civics– unless you want to lose all those friends with the valuable automotive insights. But cheer up; stupid friends are EASY to find! HERE'S MY ADVICE: Get yourself a car that's actually worth more then you paid (like a Chevy, Kia, Ford, Hyndai or Dodge). Then get sone smarter friends; ones' who understand the math behind your fiscally responsible choice.

  27. Hope they do better on crash tests than the Civic (Acceptable or Good on the front; worst possible rating on rear Civic testing: POOR).

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