General Motors this week in New York will unveil the ’15 Chevrolet Cruze, adding fresh exterior styling, new creature features and a higher degree of connectivity to the 4-year-old compact car.
GM says the Cruze’s exterior updates are inspired by the all-new Impala large sedan and Malibu midsize car, which the automaker redid in 2012 and 2013, respectively.
“We’ve simply made a great, versatile car even better,” Steve Majoros, director-marketing, passenger cars and crossovers at Chevrolet, says in a statement ahead of the Cruze unveiling Tuesday at the New York auto show.
Arriving at U.S. dealers in the fall, the Lordstown, OH-built Cruze now borrows from its larger siblings a more prominent, dual-port front fascia putting the look of its front end in line with the rest of the cars in the Chevrolet range.
The fascia update includes LED daytime running lamps on LT and LTZ trim levels, which GM says complements the swept-back headlamps of the Cruze for a sportier appearance. GM also adds several new exterior and interior colors to the car.
Changes to the interior include revised cupholders designed to make it easier to insert and remove beverages, as well as the addition of a trunk-release button to the interior of the car on the center console and movement of door-lock switches from the center console to the doors.
Optional OnStar 4G LTE wireless availability highlights new connectivity options. Text Message Alert and Apple Siri voice-command technologies also arrive on the ’15 Cruze. Other enhancements include an available 7-in. (18-cm) color touchscreen, more USB ports, next-generation OnStar and MyLink infotainment system enhancements with natural voice recognition, and the ability to download Internet applications from the newly introduced Chevrolet AppShop late in the ’15 model year.
Engine choices go unchanged, retaining a 1.8L naturally aspirated 4-cyl., a 1.4L turbocharged 4-cyl. and a 2.0L 4-cyl. diesel. Transmission choices remain a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic.
Later this month, GM will introduce an all-new Cruze for the Chinese market. Tailored to fit the wants and needs of customers specifically in China, it will include a pair of newly developed global 1.4L turbo and 1.5L naturally aspirated 4-cyl. engines.
GM does not provide a timetable for when a new Cruze with those engines might make it to U.S. shores.
