Opinion Desk: How Much More Successful Would The Chevy Cruze Be With Hatch, Coupe, Wagon Variants?
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This article is part of the GM Authority Opinion Desk series, where you can see exactly what’s on the minds of the GM Authority crew.
There are two pivotal reasons for bringing the aforementioned body style variants to market:
- Wider market reach: by offering body styles other than the sedan, the Cruze range would appeal to a broader target market. Those in the market for a small coupe, a hatchback, or a wagon simply wouldn’t have the Cruze sedan on their shopping list… no matter how great of a car it is.
- The competition: if Chevy doesn’t sell it, customers will look (and buy) elsewhere. And unlike the Cruze, the competition offers a plethora of options: the new Ford Focus launched globally with sedan and hatchback variants, with a coupe and wagon on their way. Kia’s Forte range already comes in sedan, coupe, and hatch flavors. The well-received Hyundai Elantra sedan will soon be joined by hatchback, wagon, and coupe cousins. And segment stalwarts — Honda and Toyota — also offer at least one alternative to the traditional sedan: Honda has the Civic coupe, while Toyota has the (very uninspired) Matrix hatch. Lastly, Volkswagen has the most broad lineup of all with the Jetta sedan and wagon, Golf three- and five-door hatchbacks, and the EOS hard-top convertible.
After all, it simply does not make sense for Chevy to compete with a single body style — no matter how good it may be… especially when a hatchback version of the Cruze already exists and is ready to go! Can you imagine how stunning a Cruze coupe would look — and how practical a Cruze wagon would be?
And while we’re at it, let’s not forget about options such as all-wheel-drive, a more powerful motor, and the availability of a stick in Cruzen equipped with the 1.4 liter boosted ECOTEC (ECO doesn’t count). Unfortunately, four-wheel motion doesn’t seem to be in the cards this time around — since we have it on good record that it’s simply not shoehorn a drivetrain to the rear wheels in the Delta II architecture that underpins the Cruze. Looks like Chevy won’t be acquiring that subset of the market any time soon; better luck (and forethought) with the Delta III, I guess.
This article is part of the GM Authority Opinion Desk series, where you can see exactly what’s on the minds of the GM Authority crew.
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This is not about this post.
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Just don’t get crazy and fill the site with ads and please no pop ups.
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Alex
Founder, GM Authority
A Cruze convertible would be amazing, so would a 2 door hatch 🙂
No kiddin’! You’re preaching to the choir here! 🙂
Now that Saturn and Pontiac are gone i see no reason why Chevrolet can’t have a full lineup of cars and Trucks. I would love to see a Sedan / Coupe / Convertible / hatchback of the Chevrolet Cruse. Give the People a chose eh! As long as the Fit and Finish are there, people will pay more for a quality produced.
Absolutely. And the fit and finish are definitely there! I’m really hopeful that they will bring a coupe/vert (especially for Europe), wagon, 5-door hatch and 3-door hatch.
With gas prices the way they are i see a lot of people that would have gone with a SUV looking at a hatchback or wagon.
Give me a Cruze Convertible Hatch. Just because.
That’s just silly talk — like the Murano Cross Cabriolet.
Wait, Wait… call Paramount… “Transformers 4” yeah! That just might be doable! 😉
I am very interested in the 2012 Cruze, which will have more standard options and better MPG than the 2011. I only have one concern, and it’s NOT the lack of body options:
Will they fix the serious automatic transmission issues?
It’s brought up in every major review, and seems to be the main reason that the new Focus is usually rated higher.
PLEASE fix this, GM! I want to buy your product!
I’d buy an ECO Wagon, when I replace my Pontiac G5 in a couple of years.
To compete globally, I think the hatch, a coupe, and a wagon would be an asset for the Cruze and GM. As gas prices continue their rise, Americans will eventually gravitate towards wagons because they are lighter, just as versatile, and more fuel efficient than a CUV/SUV. A Cruze convertible, well. . that would be very cool. Giving buyers fun cars with great gas mileage would be a great way for GM to improve its image as well.
I’m a Subaru guy at heart, but work for GM….so I’m pretty much stuck with what they have to offer. It kills me that GM doesn’t make a small AWD car with high end options….and NO, I don’t want a CUV (i.e. Equinox, etc). Not that the Equinox is a bad vehicle, it’s just bulkier than I want and heavier too. I want a wagon or hatch , with options for AWD and navigation. The 2012 Impreza is slated to get 36 MPG!! I’m trying to talk my wife into getting one because I’ll have to SETTLE for a GM for my personal vehicle. I like the new Cruze and even have a deposit down on a Volt…but the bottom line is that I want AWD!!!