Automotive News [sub] tells us that GM’s big hope small car, the Cruze, has gone on sale in Korea as the Daewoo Lacetti. The replacement for Top Gear’s one-time “reasonably priced car” comes with a 1.6 liter four-banger, making 116 hp and costing only $7,948 in devalued Won. With production underway in Gunsan, Korea, GM needs only develop US-market trim and begin production of its 1.4 liter turbo-four engine to bring the Cruze stateside. Unfortunately, GM is on a zero-development budget for 2009, meaning production at Lordstown, OH is on hold. We won’t expect any news of US production of the Cruze until the Department of Energy writes up regulation controlling the $25b in retooling loans needed to get Lordstown rolling. Still, it’s nice to know that, unlike certain other GM vehicles in the pipeline (cough, Volt, cough) the Cruze is already on the road, if only in Korean spec. If GM can’t find the money to build and sell a small, already-developed economy car, well, it makes one wonder what they’re doing in business at all.
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Why do I feel like the model on the left is going make me her gimp?
Are those models (not a car itself) for one of those TV shows about plastic surgeries gone bad? I would be afraid to get massage from either of them.
John R., thank you for distracting from the car itself, obviously wasn’t all that difficult.
Re: models
One of these things just doesn’t belong here, one of these things just isn’t the same…
What’s wrong with the models other then the doofy white guy.
This is really bad if the car is already on sale in another market and they can’t even afford to make small changes and bring it over here until they find more money under the couch, our treasury couch that is. Why can’t they just make the thing US compliant and import it from Asia like the Aveo. Isn’t the 1.6 liter already being used in the Astra?
These guys are seriously more up sh*ts creek than I though if they can’t even afford to make the $100 million dollars worth of changes and US compliance they need to just import them and start saving their sales asses. Fumes they are running on, very bad or good, depending on whos perspective.
I’ll betcha that the “Thumbs Up” guy in the photo is not referring to the car…
Like it would matter if it was ready.
Is there a Daewoo model that is as good as the Lobalt? Much less any of the competitve compacts.
If the Cruze does ever show I doubt any product planners at Honda/Toy/Hyun/Nis even care.
Yawn.
Bunter
Redbarchetta :
That is Mike Grimaldi, Pres GMDAT, and formerly
the GM Exec that brought the GMT 800 program together in the 90’s, the program where the Silverado became the best pickup in the world. Also the guy that hit the hole in one at the Buick Open and had to donate the prize.
If GM can’t find the money to build and sell a small, already-developed economy car, well, it makes one wonder what they’re doing in business at all.
That, Edward, has been the question American consumers have been asking for years….and to date it still has yet to be answered.
If the good ol’ U.S. of A. is the country that desperately needs the “profits” the Cruze will rake in, then why not apply it to the home market first?
As the current/recent (2004-2008) Suzuki Forenza (eg Daewoo) is actually a significantly better car than the Lobalt (and about on a par with the Versa/Corolla of the same vintage), I would say it would still help GM. Granted, none of the above are going to scare Toyohondissan.
Delaying the Cruze due to low funds is like taking an unpaid day of work because your car is low on gas.
Priorities people!