Report: Diesel Chevrolet Cruze confirmed for U.S.

2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco - Click above for high-res image gallery

According to the crew at GMInsideNews, General Motors is mulling the notion of introducing a diesel Chevrolet Cruze to the American market. Sources within the Lordstown, Ohio assembly plant responsible for piecing the compact sedan together have confirmed that a diesel Cruze will be built for 2013. If that's not enough to wipe the stink of skepticism off your person, GMI says that additional sources within The General's engineering team have confirmed that an oil-burning Cruze is on the company's schedule.

Production is rumored to kick off on the project at some point next year.

There's even rumor that GM is currently testing diesel Cruze models around the greater Detroit area right now. While no power or fuel economy numbers are available at the moment, GM is expected to make use of a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine for the new model. That would be the same lump found in the Holden Cruze CDX, which turns out 147 horsepower and 235 pound-feet of torque with up to 34 miles per gallon combined.
[Source: GMInsideNews] 

Chevy Camaro platform underpins new GM vehicle in Chicago

General Motors has big plans for the upcoming Chicago Auto Show. At the exposition opening this week, GM will unveil a pair of new vehicles, although details on what form they'll take remain scarce.

The news comes from reports quoting GM's North American president Mark Reuss. All he's revealed at this point is that one of the two cars will be based on the Chevrolet Camaro's platform. That tells us it will be a front-engine/rear-drive vehicle, but little else. So, commence speculation: Camaro Z28? Chevy Zeta-platform sedan? (Which we think should be called Chevelle, because hey, if Dodge can call its sedan Charger...)

As for the second car slated for the Windy City salon, your guess is as good as ours. So we'll just have to sit tight and see what the General has got in store for us.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Rendered Speculation: Corvette Stingray C7.R

While the Corvette Stingray Concept (a.k.a. Autobot Sideswipe) introduced at the Chicago Auto Show earlier this month sports heritage-inspired cues, its futuristic styling could also hint at the design of the next-generation model. GM made no comment on whether any of the concept would find make its way into the C7 Corvette, but there will doubtless be plenty of people willing to speculate. The gang at BadBoyVettes.com have taken it one step further and have come up with what the C7.R would look like if the Stingray went to production as-is. Using one of our live shots from the show, they've added the Corvette Racing livery, complete with the "Jake" skull mascot featured prominently on the hood. We think they did a good job, which is to be expected, since BBV helped put together the design schemes for the actual C6.R racers. In full race livery, the Stingray looks like it'd be equally adept at chasing down Gulf-liveried Aston Martins or battling giant evil robots. After all, Jake plays no favorites; he's an equal-opportunity intimidator.

Paris Motor Show 2008: Chevrolet Cruze meets an eager Europe

The Chevrolet Cruze is three kinds of car: small, American and important. And with the state of General Motors, it isn't even the individual words that mean the most: it's whether The General can combine them into a reliable, fuel efficient and cost effective package. True, we don't get to drive these things while they're parked under the lights, but to have a seat in the Cruze is to imagine a GM that begs the question, "Where was all this before the meltdown?" The studio imagery we've seen so far translates nicely into real life, and the center console looks and feels substantial – in fact, it looks like it could be foreign – even if the silver mesh treatment in the show car was a bit much. The car has a compact yet full-bodied stance, and will probably look even better on the road in a color other than scarlet, and not under klieg lights. Spring of '09 will welcome this first Cruze variant to Europe, after which other regions will get it, as well as a probable hatchback and wagon. It will be powered by a 1.4-liter turbo four-cylinder that charts up to 140 hp and is said to return 40 mpg. Have a look at the high-res gallery of live shots below to get a better idea of what to expect when the Cruze goes on sale here in a couple years.

Quick Test: 2009 Chevrolet Traverse LTZ AWD

The Traverse is the fourth General Motors' model built on its Lambda unibody architecture, others being the Buick Enclave, Saturn Outlook, and GMC Acadia. The Traverse is functionally much the same as its cross-brand siblings and gives Chevy a much-needed entry in this segment, replacing the ages-old, truck-based TrailBlazer. It also gives us our first taste of GM's direct-fuel-injection V-6 in this platform, although the other variants also are so equipped for 2009.

With optional dual exhausts, the newest version of GM's 3.6L DOHC V-6 spools out 288 hp. The engine is quiet and smooth and has a wide powerband. It's mated to a six-speed automatic transaxle, replete with a handy toggle switch on the end of the shifter to allow manual scrolling up and down all six gears. It's a good powertrain, but it works hard to move the Traverse's mass, plus cargo. You pay the penalty at the pump: While the EPA fuel economy estimates are 16 mpg city and 23 mpg highway, the observed fuel economy for our admittedly hard-driven, top-of-the-range, 5111-lb, all-wheel-drive LTZ was just 12.1 mpg.