Chevrolet announces 3 million Cruze sold around the world since 2008!
The Chevrolet Cruze has officially sold 3 million units around the world this month, just 16 months after selling its 2 millionth model, with more than 30,000 sold in Southeast Asia including Thailand. The compact car is the brand’s best-selling nameplate.
The Cruze has proved itself a global player among small cars. General Motors builds the sedan at 11 plants worldwide, including its Thai assembly plant in Rayong, and sells it in 118 countries, including Thailand. Cruze has won 88 awards since its introduction in 2009.
This year, Grand Prix International named Cruze among its “Car of The Year 2014” award-winners at the Bangkok International Motor Show. Cruze 1.8 LTZ won for Best Sedan under 1,800 CC. Cruze’s 1.8-liter ECOTEC powertrain, updated with flex-fuel (E85) capability, runs on any form of gasoline, from pure gasoline to fuel with up to 85 percent ethanol. The use of E85 produces less carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide, benzene and butadiene emissions.
“The Cruze is an extremely adaptable car that can cater to the demands of nearly every market in the world,” said Alan Batey, GM executive vice president of Global Chevrolet. “It is a testament to Chevrolet’s global focus and capabilities to offer a car that is so highly regarded in so many places.”
Chevrolet is committed to building product in the markets they are sold, so the Cruze is built in 11 different countries on five continents. GM design teams in South Korea and Germany had the global consumer in mind when developing the car in just 27 months in the late 2000s before debuting in South Korea in November of 2008.
“Small car sales around the world have been growing exponentially as emerging markets, in Asia and South America, increase car ownership while mature markets, like the U.S., downsize for fuel economy,” says Michelle Krebs, senior analyst for AutoTrader.com. “Small cars, like the Cruze, are driving sales globally and will continue to do so.”
The Cruze endured intensive durability testing, including extreme weather tests and more than 210 crash tests tailored to the regulatory demands of the countries where it is sold.
To appeal to the different markets’ tastes, the Cruze is available in in three body styles, including a four-door sedan, five-door hatchback and station wagon. Cruze is powered by five different engines, 1.4-, 1.6-, and 1.8-liter gasoline engines, and 1.7- and 2-liter diesel engines.
Chevrolet recently launched a new version of the Cruze catering to the styling and packaging demands of Chinese customers. Cruze sales in China lead all countries with 1.13 million sold since launch in 2009.
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