| 777 | Date: Thursday, 28 Oct 2010, 18.59 | Message # 1 |
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User ID: 777
Joined: 18 Oct 2010
Messages: 1035
| Small cars have never been big players for Detroit, to put it mildly. But with more Americans downsizing into compact and even subcompact cars, it’s critical for General Motors and Chrysler (and, to a lesser extent, Ford) to change their small-car offerings from bottom feeders to market leaders.
For GM, the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze is the latest bid to erase bad memories of crapulent Cavaliers and mediocre Cobalts. At a dinner in New York with Jim Campbell, Chevy’s general manager, journalists pored over a spiffy pair of Cruzes parked outside. And at a standstill at least, the Cruze looks to have the right stuff to finally put Chevy in the game against the perennial small-car sales kings, the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla.
That said, it's unlikely that the Cruze will put up the sales numbers of the Civic or the Corolla. But it’s a needed step up the ladder in styling, comfort, technology, amenities -- and, of course, price. The Cruze starts at $16,995, and even that model brings a raft of standard features: a class-leading 10 airbags, stability control with a rollover sensor, anti-lock brakes, remote keyless entry, a 6-month subscription to OnStar (including turn-by-turn navigation) and three months of XM satellite radio. For $18,995, an intriguing Cruze Eco model will be touting 40 mpg highway with a turbocharged 1.4-liter engine that’s no slouch in the power department, with 138 horsepower and 148 lb-ft of torque (not to mention that torque peak is reached at just 1,850 rpm, meaning the Cruze should have a nice, flexible well of power around town and on the highway). A 6-speed automatic transmission is also the standard setup for all auto-equipped Cruzes, topping the four or five speeds found on virtually every rival.
Kick it up to the 2LT and LTZ models (at $21,395 and $22,695 respectively), and you’re looking at a car equipped at Mazda3 or Volkswagen Jetta levels, to name two models that set the current standard for top-shelf small rides. The LTZ brings leather and heated seats, 18-inch alloy wheels, 4-wheel disc brakes, cruise control, Bluetooth, USB port, automatic climate control and remote vehicle start. An optional navigation system with a 40-gigabyte music storage drive is also a first for a GM compact.
Of course, Chevy’s toughest task will be to convince people who’d look at a Honda, Toyota, Mazda or VW that the Cruze belongs on their shopping list -- but that’s a feat previously accomplished by Chevy with its smart new Malibu midsize sedan. GM can use that midsize success as a template to market the Cruze to people who’ve learned to be skeptical of GM’s smaller cars.
Until now, Ford, with its Focus, has been the only Detroit automaker to deliver a truly competitive small car, and it has followed up that success with the new Fiesta, a real cutie-pie among subcompacts. Next year brings the long-delayed, second-generation Focus, which, in Europe, has already proved itself as one of the world’s best small cars. (I’ve driven that Focus, and it’s a knockout, even better than the Mazda3, which shares a platform with the Ford). As for Chrysler, it’s relying on the spunky Fiat 500 to give its dealers some small-car mojo, while revamping its own small cars, such as the regrettable Dodge Caliber. What that says is that a proper balance is being restored between Detroit’s cars and trucks, and between large models and small. If Detroit’s recovery is to continue gaining momentum, those small cars must play a big role.
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