June 26, 2015
Greg Gardner,

The 2016 Chevrolet Cruze is longer, lighter and gets about 40 m.p.g. from its 1.4-liter, four-cylinder Ecotec turbo engine.

Slated to go on sale in spring of 2016, the Cruze will be the fifth redesigned car model Chevrolet is launching in 2015 and early next year with the goal of restoring a reputation it enjoyed in the 1950s and '60s.

Earlier this year, Chevy unveiled redesigned versions of the Volt, Camaro, Malibu and Spark.

General Motors CEO Mary Barra took the cover off the new Cruze Wednesday night at the Fillmore Detroit.

"It's a beautiful vehicle. It's one of the most important we have in the Chevrolet portfolio," Barra said. "40 miles per gallon, midsize roominess. I'm really excited about the car."

"The new Cruze is truly one of Chevrolet's most global vehicles," said Alan Batey, president of GM North America. "With content variations dictated mostly by local market demands, customers in every corner of the globe will enjoy the same fundamental dynamics."

Cruze will weigh about 250 pounds less than the 2015 model it replaces. This is accomplished through an aluminum engine block and increased use of press-hardened steel, a process of heating steel blanks until they are malleable. Then they are formed and rapidly cooled in specially designed dies.

The result is a lighter weight, but stronger piece that is equally or more crashworthy than thicker heavier pieces that would be welded together.

Source
Detroit Free Press