GM Lordstown's new comapct called Cruze

2008 GM Chevrolet Colbalt

LORDSTOWN, Ohio (AP) - The new compact car to be built at General Motors' Lordstown plant is called the Cruze.
Union officials hope the vehicle will keep production going at the northeast Ohio plant for years to come.
"We can't wait to get it," said Dave Green, president of Local 1714 at the Lordstown fabrication plant.
Chevrolet's Cruze will be shown for the first time in October at the Paris Auto Show. It's set for production at Lordstown in the summer of 2010.
GM hasn't released many details about the Cruze.
It will be about 15 feet long, almost identical to the Cobalt, one of two vehicles currently being built at the plant. But GM said the Cruze will make better use of its interior space, offering more room for five passengers and cargo.
The Cruze is one of GM's responses to $4-per-gallon gasoline.
The manual transmission model will boost fuel efficiency by 9 miles per gallon over the current Cobalt XFE, also a stick-shift model that can achieve 36 miles per gallon, said Nick Daniels of GM's global product development.
Chevrolet developed the name as a derivative of "cruise," spokeswoman Nancy Libby said, noting, "It's something we think will work globally."
All of the company's small cars built around the world will adopt the name, making it the Chevrolet's first truly global compact car, she said.
"It's primarily the same car, but there are small tweaks to meet local regulations. The grill might be changed because one is more familiar on European streets than in the U.S.," she said.
Built on what is being called GM's Delta 2 architecture - the Cobalt and Pontiac G5, also made at Lordstown, are original Delta cars - the Cruze first will go into production in Europe, with sales starting next spring.
In its short life since sales began in November 2004, the Cobalt has become GM's best-selling car in recent months as buyers seek fuel-efficient vehicles.
Whether or when the Cobalt might cease production has yet to be determined, Lordstown spokesman Tom Mock said.
The Cobalt's success prompted GM to add a third production shift and 1,400 jobs - the largest hiring since Lordstown opened in 1966, Mock said.
The complex will employ about 4,300 hourly workers and roughly 300 salaried workers.