Here in the U.S., we only get the Chevrolet Cruze as a sedan but overseas there are hatchback and wagon bodystyles as well. Not offering the hatch in the U.S. is something General Motors Company [NYSE:GM] product chief Mark Reuss once called “a pre-bankruptcy planning mistake,” a mistake the automaker is not likely to repeat a second time.
Automotive News (subscription required) sources have revealed that a second-generation Cruze Hatchback was shown at a dealer meeting held last week in Las Vegas. More importantly, the vehicle was said to be headed for the U.S. market where it would compete against numerous compact hatches like the Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] Focus, Hyundai Elantra GT and Volkswagen Golf.
GM is scheduled to unveil its second-generation Cruze sedan for the U.S. market on Wednesday, June 24, ahead of a sales launch early next year. The hatch, which is expected to be a conventional five-door model like the current-generation Cruze Hatchback featured above, is slated to join the new sedan in showrooms later in 2016.
The new Cruze Hatchback will be mechanically similar to the new Opel Astra making its debut in September at the 2015 Frankfurt Auto Show. Spacious, dynamic and light, the new Astra should prove competitive in the market thanks to its D2XX platform, and this bodes well for the new Cruze Hatchback which will also ride on the D2XX platform.
Of interest to performance fans is news that Opel will launch a new Astra OPC performance model, and the car’s potent powertrain could make its way into a hotted-up version of the new Cruze Hatchback to rival the popular Focus ST and GTI. The previous Astra OPC came with a turbo four delivering 280 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, along with uprated brakes, suspension and tires.
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