General Motors Mexico announced that $350 million USD of its money will go towards the Ramos Arizpe manufacturing facility to build the all-new 2016 Chevrolet Cruze. The $350 million USD belongs to the original investment announced last December for all Mexico operations.
Meanwhile, US-market 2016 Chevrolet Cruze production will happen in Lordstown, Ohio. So far, we know that it will be based on the new GM D2xx platform and will feature a new family of EcoTec engines. However, we’re not sure if the 2016 Cruze that the Mexico facility is slated to build will look like the Chinese-spec model or the US-spec model.
The Chevrolet Cruze has been one of the best selling nameplates in the brand’s range around the globe, since the current/outgoing model launched in 2008. In total, Chevrolet has sold 3.4 million of examples of the Cruze in 100 different markets where the nameplate has been offered.
The GM Ramos Arizpe manufacturing complex was opened in 1981 and today builds a quarter of total vehicle production in Mexico, while 87 percent of the vehicles are exported globally to countries from Canada to China.
Comments
I don’t know how the Mexican built cars won’t find their way here if they’re still going to build the current car in Lordstown for a while.
I think you will find this one is different once it comes out and these will be for export. At least initially.
Now if sales are good they could add the NA version if needed but Lordstown will have to be at 3 shifts first and they can really build a lot of cars there. It is a very big and high volume plant.
The change over at Lordstown is not that far out.
My guess is that GM México is set to build the chinese spec-model simply because Mexico didn’t get the facelifted U.S. Cruze (with 4g LTE connectivity) just yet. Whilst the Chevy Aveo is the best-selling vehicle in the country, the Cruze hasn’t been a big seller there for a while, GM needs an all-new Cruze ASAP.