Designed and developed based on the sedan version and the fact that it is doing well in most of the markets they are in, it will be an extension of the product line where they aim to capitalize on its positive response in Europe. This would be one of the 4 models which will be making their debut in the upcoming motor show at the end of this month.
The new 5 door hatchback will be GM’s answer to bringing more affordable and value for money models to the European market which spells out pretty well with the fact that they are using Paris as their springboard. Wayne Brannon, the President and Managing Director of Chevrolet Europe said that while it was targeted, they were equally as surprised that since the launch of the Cruze, it has been doing extremely well where it is their ‘real success story’. The sedan version of the Cruze is now selling in 70 countries globally and sales has surpassed their current top selling passenger car, the Chevrolet Aveo.
The Cruze was launched in Spring 2009 where its coupe styling and persona went very well with most of the markets it was brought into while the build quality, the 5 star NCAP ratings too played important roles in driving its popularity. It was also awarded the AUTOBEST car of 2010 among automotive writers in Europe. Brannon said that because the compact segment in Europe representing about 4.8 million units which constitutes more than a quarter of the total automotive market and hatchbacks forming about 65% of the total, they are keen to put their model in the segment.
In terms of sales in Asia, China has already contributed to almost 90,000 units of the Cruze since the beginning of 2010 while the surrounding region too has been steadily rising with Russia and some countries in South America too making their markets known. According to GM, the new hatchback will start selling in mid 2011 in Europe.
