Holden Cruze hatch starts local production
The all-new Holden Cruze hatch has today started local production on the general assembly line at Holden vehicle operations in Elizabeth, South Australia.
The latest model to be built by Holden in Australia further strengthens the local production of the General Motors subsidiary, which also produces the Commodore locally.
Holden Chairman and Managing Director, Mike Devereux, said “It’s a challenging time for manufacturing, but Holden is one of the most flexible automotive manufacturing operations in the world and we’re incredibly proud of our capability."
Despite the Holden Cruze hatch being based on a global small car platform, the Australian produced variants have been tuned for local conditions. Cruze Program Engineering Manager, Peter Siablis, says an additional 140,000 kilometres of testing was carried out in Australia to fine tune the models' ride & handling. The changes will also affect the 2012 Holden Cruze sedan.
“When customers get behind the wheel next month we think they’ll feel the suspension changes we’ve made which improve steering response, ride quality and add a sense of refinement to the overall driving experience.” he said.
The new Holden Cruze hatch will offer the same variant types as the Cruze sedan, two petrol and one diesel engine. The 1.4iTi (103kW - 200Nm) and 1.8-litre petrol (104kW - 176Nm) will accompnay the 2.0-litre diesel (120kW - 360Nm).
“With Cruze hatch models going into production this month we’re now building 51 models across the global small car and Commodore short and long wheel base architectures, all on the same line. As global economic conditions changed we set ourselves a very clear goal to be profitable first and foremost on our domestic business. This means building in Australia the large and small cars that Australians really want to drive. This strategy is clearly paying off. Cruze has been a great success in the market and our locally made vehicles account for nearly 60 per cent of Holden’s new car sales this year.” Mr Devereux said.
CarAdvice is attending the launch of the Holden Cruze on the 8th of November, check back then for a full review. Whilst you're waiting, check out our other Holden Cruze Reviews.
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