Chevy announced today that they plan to debut the US production version of the Cruze sedan and Volt electric car at the Los Angeles Auto Show on December 2, 2009.
The Chevy Cruze is already available in many markets overseas, and is just coming here to the States, slightly modified. The Cruze is expected to get up to 40 mpg on the highway, surpassing the fuel economy of any other gas-only sedan currently on the market. The Cruze boasts more interior room than both a Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, along with plenty of standard options like navigation and Bluetooth.
The Chevy Cruze will be available in the third quarter of 2010. Available engines include small-displacement turbocharged powerplants that focus on fuel economy, including a 1.4-liter turbo engine.
The Chevy Volt, as I’m sure you’ve heard, is an electric-centric hybrid, meaning it runs on only electric power for the first 40 miles or so, then if more juice is needed for your commute, the gas engine kicks in to recharge the batteries. 40 miles, Chevy calculated, is a little more than the average work-and-back commute distance of most Americans, which will (in theory) allow Volt drivers to very rarely need to use the gas engine during normal driving. This way of running a hybrid is smarter than we’re used to, and Chevy says as a result the Volt will return the equivalent of 230 mpg around town. Not bad.
The Volt will be available in late 2010 only to selected markets (i.e. California,) and pricing has not yet been announced.
