Chevrolet Cruze
If you’ve never thought of General Motors as a global brand, you should probably start.
During a press preview for the Paris Motor Show in Detroit, Ed Welburn, GM vice president of global design, said that the automaker’s global sales are expanding at a record rate. In fact, Chevrolet’s European sales were up 23 percent for the first 6 months of 2008. Thus, as it prepares for the new world of global competition, GM is making changes to its lineup to put it in a better position for success.
Paris in October is going to be the stage to showcase those changes. GM will be launching three production vehicles, a Chevrolet show car and a Saab concept.
The first production vehicle launched by GM in Paris will be the Opel Insignia Sport Tourer. It is a wagon based on the current Insignia sedan that will go on sale in the spring of 2009. It will only be sold in European markets.
The Saab concept launched at the Paris show will be the 9-X Air, which evolves the look firmly established in previous concepts like the 9-X. This concept will explore the open-air experience, retaining the basic shape of the 9-X and its wrap-around windshield but dropping the top.
The Chevrolet show car launching in Paris will be the Orlando, a compact three-row, seven-passenger crossover. It will be based on the Chevrolet Cruze platform, a new compact car that also makes its debut in Paris. The Orlando is designed to meet the needs of families yet retain a compact size with compact economy.
The vehicles that will be most important to the U.S. market, however, are the last two production vehicles launching at the Paris Motor Show: The Chevrolet Cruze and the Cadillac CTS Sports Wagon.
source:chicagosuntimes
