General Motors has unveiled the new facelifted Cruze sedan at the 2012 Busan Motor show in Korea.

The front fascia sees the mesh grille replaced with horizontal bars, while the side air intakes are redesigned around the new foglights. The rear on the other hand seems unchanged from the original model.

European customers will also see the introduction of a new 1.7-litre VCDi engine in the sedan – already available in the hatch and estate bodystyles – that generates 97 kW / 300 Nm, with CO2 emissions below the taxable 120 g/km limit at 119 g/km.

Not even the official Korean GM website features press photos, but thanks to the power of Internet we’ve managed to find a few examples of the car’s new look, together with the YouTube video below.

Since the Cruze is a car sold around the world, it’s likely that we’ll see the facelifted Cruze hatchback and sedan models arrive on the motor show circuit in Paris in September.

We’ve spent a fair amount of time in the new Chevrolet Cruze since its launch in September 2009. We’ve driven both the 1.6 and 1.8 petrol engined models, as well as the 1.8 LT with its 6-speed automatic transmission, which since being launched has received a software upgrade to successfully eliminate the ‘jumpy’ auto box.

This year will see the introduction of a 2,0-litre diesel to the range, which we think may just be the pick of the bunch for effortless cruising. In the meantime though, the Cruze 1.8 LS is in the running for 2010 SA Car of The Year and we’re bringing you a test on the smaller 1.6 LS.

Interior
Refinement is the most noticeable and pleasing characteristic of the new Cruze. The interior is finished in high quality materials that look and feel good. One exception is the steering wheel on the 1.6 LS, which looks ok, but is simply refined plastic and doesn’t feel good. We think the car would feel and look better with an imitation leather covered steering wheel.

Chevrolet have gone to great lengths to achieve the levels of refinement in their Cruze. For one, the front bulkhead is sandwiched between two large sound deadening mats. On the cabin side, a 25 mm thick rubber mat is tightly fastened to the metal. On the engine compartment side, pre-formed fibreglass insulation 10 mm thick is used. All openings for wiring and cables are as small as possible and are closed off with composite grommets. Within the body, hollow sections have been sealed off using foam adhesive that expands when the body passes through the paint ovens during manufacture, Chevrolet says this results in a noise reduction of 40 decibels throughout the body structure. The efforts continue to the fibreglass lining within the doors, rubber mountings for the engine and transmission, even the wheel arches are lined with a composite material to help dampen noise when driving on wet roads or loose surfaces, such as gravel.

So it will come as no surprise to hear us say that the Cruze is a comfortable place to be. The interior offers minimal wind noise, a smooth ride, adequate sound system and a range of electronically adjustable settings for climate, windows, mirrors, radio and more. However, we have one complaint and one reservation regarding the cabin. Although backlit by attractive white and ice blue colours, the drivers instrument cluster can be difficult to read during the daytime, occasionally prompting you to remove your sunglasses and peer into the instruments – the backlighting is only adjustable with the headlights turned on. The other concern we have is that the front seats may be a bit narrow for larger South Africans and could prove uncomfortable on longer journeys, as the side bolsters will tend to push into one’s thighs instead of wrapping around them. Apart from these two points, cabin space is good and rear legroom is above average for a compact sedan.

One display that is easy to read, is that of the screen mounted atop the centre console, which provides a clock, the outside temperature, current radio station or CD track, as well as the climate control details. The 6-speaker (4-speakers for the 1.6 L), 6-disc, front loading Radio/CD/MP3-player produces good sound quality and includes a preset equaliser, as well as auxiliary input for your iPod or MP3-player.

Space is good in the Cruze. It has a large 400-litre boot, foldable rear seats in a 60/40 split configuration that include an armrest and cup holders, as well as plenty of storage compartments for personal items such as the usual cellphones, wallet, keys and sunglasses.

Safety is comprehensive across the whole range. Driver, passenger and seat side airbags are standard on the L specification, while side curtain airbags are added as standard to the LS and LT spec’d models. Active safety systems include ABS on all models with EBD on the LS models and Traction Control on the 1.8 LS and 1.8 LT models.

Exterior
The Cruze is Chevrolet’s ‘world car’. Being built in many different factories for many different markets, it implies some compromise as market preferences vary, however, we feel in the styling department the Cruze has broad appeal. A bold front end, with headlights that stretch back towards the A-pillars provide an aggressive look. The strong shoulder line provides a bold profile and the rearward sloping roof and sculptured tail-lights provide a welcome contrast to a relatively chiseled shape. 16-inch alloy wheels are standard on all but the LT, which receives a set of 17-inch wheels to fill the large arches.

The Drive
The design brief for the Cruze was aimed at European conditions where good handling and comfort are preferred over outright performance. In these areas the car is impressive. The directional stability in a strong cross wind is excellent. The ride is firm, the handling stable and predictable, with very little body roll in a tight corner – no tyre squeal, no drama. Change up through the gears and soon you will be moving quicker than the car at first seemed capable of.

Performance
The media have not been too impressed with the performance of the range, claiming the Cruze range to be somewhat underpowered. Well, yes, in a power happy country like SA that is understandable. Producing 80 kW at 6 000 rpm and 150 N.m of torque at 4 000 rpm, the figures show the 1,6-litre 16-valve engine to be slightly down on power compared to rivals such as the new Kia Cerato, Hyundai Elantra and Toyota Corolla. But what does this mean in real world driving? Do you have to get out to push the 1.6 against a headwind? Do you have to drop a gear on every hill? No, and no, are the short answers.

The 1.6 motor is sweet, enjoys being revved and can kick up its heels if whipped a little. No sense of power but a smooth acceleration that is not disappointing. The motor is not torquey, but it also does not complain when one might expect it to, such as holding a gear up a hill with the rev counter hovering below 2 000 rpm. Put your foot flat and there will be no response. To get a move on, you’ll need to drop two cogs on the 5-speed box and even then there’s not much to get excited about, although the car does pick up enough speed to avoid being run over by faster traffic. Our test was done at the coast, at higher altitudes one would have to work harder. Acceleration from zero to 100 km/h takes 10 seconds and top speed is a modest 175 km/h.

Accepting that performance was not a priority in the design process, we believe that General Motors has done a superb job at achieving their aims with the Chevrolet Cruze – refinement; handling; comfort; solidity and value for money. As the days went by we appreciated the car more and found it pleasant to live with. We believe that the 1.6 models in particular are worth serious consideration if you are looking to buy a car in the ‘compact sedan’ category.

What we like…

• Comfort and handling.
• Attractive body design.
• Quietness and refinement.
• Price of the 1.6 models.

What we would like…

• Synthetic leather covered steering wheel (Leather standard on 1.8 LT).
• Clear instrument reading during daylight.
• Front seats that can accommodate bigger people.

It’s no secret that GM’s eleventh hour decision to keep Opel left many in Germany, both public and private, feeling a bit burned. But Nick Reilly, the new Opel CEO, isn’t running from the issue. In fact, he’s addressing it head on.

He’s saying it’s time to end the usual blame-shifting tactics within GM’s European branch. The ultimate problem, he says, was the bureaucratic culture that found roots in the company. With Reilly’s appointment, he’s looking to change that, and that means taking responsibility for the company’s failures as well as its successes.

At this early stage, that amounts to little more than a lot of flowery talk, however. If Reilly’s enthusiasm should bear fruit, it might serve to ease some of the fears in Germany’s auto workers unions and within the German government. On the other hand, the realities of adjusting Opel’s capacity to fit the smaller global marketplace may leave Reilly no alternative but to make unpopular cuts.

And that may be the darker side of the responsibility Reilly is talking about assuming. Opel’s German workforce is about 25 000 members strong, and despite an announcement last week upon taking the reins that no product engineers would lose their jobs, there’s still a very real possibility that capacity – and therefore jobs – will have to be cut.

On the up side however, there are some bright spots in the product portfolio, including the new Insignia sedan/wagon, which have been on the road for just about a year in Europe now. Headed to the U.S. largely unchanged as the 2011 Buick Regal, the Insignia could speak well for the future of Opel. The new Astra, which will also spawn a Buick variant that shares much with the Cruze as well, could also point the direction toward a future that doesn’t require drastic cuts.

Whatever the next few months may hold for Opel, it’s looking like the new leadership may be just what the company needs to shed its tired, near-bankruptcy image.

Adapted from MotorAuthority

The all-new Chevrolet Cruze sedan has been launched in South Africa. The car made its first SA appearance at the Johannesburg International Motor Show in October last year and we had a sneak peak of the pre-production version in August. Now, finally, we’ve been able to get behind the wheel of the new Chevrolet Cruze to form our first impressions.

In a land of typically drab family four-door sedan’s, the new Cruze offers and edgy alternative. Bold looks defined by semi-flared wheel arches, 17-inch wheels on the range topping LT, large front grille, strong shoulder line and uniquely styled head and tail-lights provide the Cruze with enough design elements to distinguish it from those of its competitors – think Corolla, Focus, Mazda3 and most recently Cerato.

The distinct design of the outside is continued on the inside with a comfortable and well appointed interior. The centre console divides the cockpit in two and flows from the dashboard into the transmission tunnel, incorporating the handbrake and arm rest. The ‘dual cockpit’ experience is also echoed by the door trim, which extends from the dashboard along the driver and passenger doors.

The centre console, with its brushed aluminum look surrounds, houses the controls for the radio/6-disc CD-Changer, climate control and information display – all lit up in an attractive ‘ice white’ blue. The drivers instrumentation cluster is lit up in the same manner and provides all the necessary information one would expect to find, including trip computer and fuel consumption. Good insulation means wind and road noise do not intrude and the quality finish of the interior adds to the refinement.

Interior space is adequate with the cloth seats in the ‘L’ and ‘LS’ models providing good support. The driving position is adjustable both in terms of seat height and position, as well as steering wheel height and reach. Rear passengers receive a shared centre armrest with integrated cup holders, as well as a 12-volt power socket for keeping that Sony PSP, or other essential gadget, charged during long trips. The Cruze is a family oriented sedan and offers a large 530-litres of boot space, enough to comfortably swallow luggage for those school holiday trips.

The Cruze has been launched with the choice of either a 1,6 or 1,8-litre petrol engine producing 83 kW with 153 N.m of torque and 104 kW with 176 N.m respectively. A 2,0-litre turbocharged diesel engine is set to join the current model line-up towards the middle of 2010. Driving the cars through the hills of KwaZulu-Natal, we found ourselves swapping cogs to maintain our pace, however both engines performed as expected for their capacities. Interestingly, both the 1.6 and 1.8-litre models we drove averaged 9.6 l/100km on our 180 km route, although Chevrolet claim 6.7 l/100km for the 1,6-litre and 6.8l/100km for the 1,8-litre petrol engine on the combined cycle.

The ride is comfortable and we never found ourselves having to ‘shuffle’ in our seat during our time with the Cruze. Handling from the new Chev is adequate and carried us through KZN’s twists and turns like a bowl of vanilla ice-cream and hot chocolate sauce through dessert – it’s okay, but it wouldn’t crack a status update on Facebook. Steering input is responsive although somewhat ‘over assisted’ by the power-steering, meaning we occasionally found ourselves turning into a corner tighter than expected.

Overall, our initial impressions of the new Chevrolet Cruze are that of a well put together, well appointed, stylish and value for money addition to the family-sedan market. If you’re looking to cruise in relative style and comfort without breaking the bank, then the Cruze should be on your shortlist.

Early last month we made mention that the all new Chevrolet Cruze had landed on our shores for testing and homologation. Well, a month later Chev have given us a sneak peak of the new car, ahead of the scheduled launch at the end of September.

The new Cruze is the first ‘world car’ to be produced by Chev and paves the way for a plethora of small vehicles in the GM family, including the next generation Opel Astra and a compact MPV to replace the Zafira.

A pronounced grille, striking headlights and a high shoulder-line give the Cruze a unique and coupe-esque look. The Cruze will be available in three specifications levels – L, LS and LT. The L and LS feature a 5-speed manual transmission and 16-inch alloy wheels, while the LT model receives a set of 17-inch alloys and a 6-speed automatic gearbox.

GMSA has not finalised the product range and specification but it is likely that the Cruze will initially be offered with a choice of 1,6 or 1,8-litre VVT petrol engines, with a 2,0-litre common-rail diesel to follow. The 1,6 litre engine is said to produce 83 kW with 153 N.m of torque at 4200 rpm, while the 1,8-litre produces around 104 kW and 176 N.m of torque at 6200 rpm. With 110 kW and 320 N.m of torque from around 2000 rpm, the 2,0-litre turbo diesel offers a claimed 5.6l/100km in the combined cycle.

Watch this space as we’ll be bringing you our first impressions of the car in late September. In the meantime take a look at the all new Chevrolet Cruze in the gallery below.