Holden Cruze to Beget Chevy Cruze
Credit Holden with coming up with the Cruze name, but the original Cruze wasn’t anything like the vehicle the world will be getting to know over the coming years. That first vehicle was a compact sport/utility vehicle, based on the Suzuki Ignis, a five door hatchback high profile vehicle.
Powered by a 1.5L I4 engine, the first Cruze was introduced in Australia in 2002 and saw production through the 2006 model year. Though Suzuki made three door hatchback and front wheel drive versions of the Ingis, for Holden only the five door and all wheel drive was made available.
Enter The Holden Cruze Sedan
With the discontinuation of the Suzuki based Cruze in 2006, the Cruze model name was once again available. It wasn’t until Summer 2008 when GM first announced that the car would go into production that North American drivers learned about the name. Initially, some enthusiasts questioned the perceived misspelling of “cruise” before learning that the name came from Holden.
Production of the Holden version of the Cruze is to begin in the second quarter of 2009 and will be built at the automaker’s Elizabeth, South Australia plant near Adelaide. According to Holden, the Cruze line will include CD and CDX models, which will be powered by a 1.8L I4 ECOTEC gas engine with the choice of a five speed manual transmission or six speed automatic transmission with Active Select. A 2.0L common rail turbocharged diesel engine will be available as an option on the CD model and will form part of the Holden EcoLine range.
Key attributes of the Holden Cruze includes:
- Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
- Traction Control (TC)
- Anti-lock Brakes (ABS)
- Brake Assist (BA)
- Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD)
- Six airbags including driver, front passenger, front side and curtain airbags
- Seatbelt retractor and lap pretensioners with seatbelt load limiters
- Sixty-five percent of the structure is high-strength steel
In addition, the top of the line Cruze will feature the following:
- 17 inch alloy wheels (4)
- Front fog lamps
- Leather steering wheel
- Leather appointed seats
- Heated front seats
- Rear park assist
Pricing will be set just before the Cruze launches later this Spring.
See Also — Chevy Pits Cruze Against Corolla & Civic
