We’ve been driving the facelifted Chevrolet Cruze around for a week locally and just as we were about to wonder out loud, how Chevrolet might be able to improve on the Cruze’s lacklustre character traits, of which there are many, Reuters has pre-empted us by suggesting the next-generation 2015 Chevy Cruze won’t be built in South Korea anymore.
Don’t get us wrong, South Korea appears to be a fantastic place to build cars. Look at the 2011 Car of the Year-winning Hyundai Elantra and its runner-up, the teeny-weeny Kia Picanto. The Chevrolet Cruze has been a great money earner for General Motors, but it is not nearly as cutting edge as what Hyundai and Kia are putting out at the moment in terms of design. The Koreans arguably have the Cruze beaten on quality too.
Perhaps accordingly then, the Reuters report states that GM has confirmed plans with South Korean union officials which hints at more European production of the next Cruze. GM CEO Dan Akerson has also been quoted in the past, suggesting that moving some GM production out of Asia to Europe would help the company’s European operations, which hasn’t been able to make money for the past 12 years. The Chevrolet Cruze accounts for more than 50% of the 260 000 vehicles built annually at GM’s Gunsa plant in South Korea, along with the Orlando MPV model.
Currently, versions of the Chevrolet Cruze are produced in South Korea, the United States, China, Brazil, and in lesser volumes in Russia and Australia. The ones sold in South Africa are produced in South Korea. GM Korea boss Sergio Rocha reportedly stated that production of the next generation model will be centred on Europe, the U.S. and China.
If the report is accurate, increased Chevrolet Cruze production in Europe will most likely be aimed at boosting efficiency at GM’s Opel/Vauxhall plants that are currently producing well under capacity, due to the weak European market. The next generation Chevy Cruze is expected to use an all-new global GM platform, with production set to commence in late 2014 and come to market by 2015.
