The all new Chevrolet Cruze will not be launched in 2014 as expected earlier as GM has pushed the development of the car further by one year. This leaves Chevrolet in India in a bit of spot, the Cruze in India is a much appreciated car for its performance, features and space, but it is getting pretty old in the face of competition. So what’s the solution? Get a slightly tweaked car in the market and keep people interested in the brand till the next improved car comes in. Well, this spy shot seems to indicate that Chevrolet is doing exactly that.
The photo on the right was taken by Mr. Rohin Nagrani, Senior Editor, BS Motoring on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. What the photo shows is a slightly different rear end on the otherwise familiar Cruze. The most obvious difference is the 2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class like tail-lamp cluster. The same design was seen on the ‘Customized Cruze’ shown at the 2012 Auto Expo. So can we expect the same design to be implemented at the front as well?
You can check out the Chevrolet Customized Cruze Below
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For the price (approx Rs. 14 Lakh to Rs. 16 Lakh), the Cruze competes with the Toyota Corolla Altis (which has a huge list of variants), the Hyundai Eleantra (which has a huge fan following), the Volkswagen Jetta (understated, but brilliant), the Renault Fluence (engine, interior quality is top notch) and the Skoda Laura (’nuff said). On top of this, the competition is going to get tough, a new Toyota Corolla is coming in 2014, the new Skoda Octavia will be launched in August 2013, the Renault Fluence facelift will be launched in 2013 and the other cars will surely get an update soon.
Chevrolet had launched an improved version of the Cruze in May 2012, it received a revised 2.0 litre engine, some new features but the exterior design remained untouched. The new car is expected to receive just a minor cosmetic change, the mechanicals may be tweaked a little, but we do not expect Chevrolet to invest much in improving the car. The Chevrolet Cruze, in its current guise, remains to be a very value-for-money car for those who like a bit of sportiness in their cars and the Cruze facelift is expected to be no different.
photo source Rohin Nagrani’s Twitter Handle
