Although the 2010 Chevrolet Cruze isn’t scheduled to make its public debut until October’s Paris Motor Show, the Bowtie brand decided to show those gathered at its Lordstown, Ohio plant today a ‘foam’ version of the upcoming sedan.
As expected, the Cruze takes styling cues from the new Malibu, and promises to be a much sharper car than the current Cobalt. Chief designer Taewan Kim says that the new Cruze’s design is meant to be “bold, not evolutionary. We wanted to take a big step forward, making a strong design statement for Chevrolet products around the world.”
The car will hit the European market in March of 2009, with U.S. production at the Lordstown, Ohio, plant where the Cobalt is currently made beginning in June 2010.
Although there is widespread speculation that the Cruze will eventually replace the Cobalt, it still remains possible that both cars could coexist within GM’s lineup. In fact, Chevrolet’s North American head, Ed Peper, says the Cruze is actually intended to create a new segment that slots above the Cobalt but below the Malibu. Seeing the car in person confirms the Cruze could fill that hole in Chevy’s lineup as it is actually bigger than it looks in pictures.
