Cruze proves popular in UK
July 10, 2009 by Matt Brogan
The Chevrolet Cruze, better known to us as the Holden Cruze, is proving a popular seller in the UK even before its official launch.
Following huge dealer demand for the Cruze, Swedish-Norwegian carrier Wallenius Wilhelmsen, the ‘Tijuca’ docked in Bristol to deliver 2133 new Cruzes ahead of the car’s showroom debut this month – the largest ever deliver of new Chevrolets to Britain.
More than half of the Cruzes on board have already been sold to customers (1133) with the remaining to go in to dealer stock.
“We’re thrilled to see such a large batch of cars arriving here,” said UK Chevrolet Managing Director, Mark Terry. “We’ve seen demand grow massively with three successive months of sales increases, and our stock levels were lower than normal as a result. The fact that over half of the cars on the ship were factory-ordered vehicles, already sold to customers, shows just how popular the Chevrolet brand has become in the UK. And as these cars become more visible on the roads, we should expect that popularity to grow further.”
And in case you’re wondering the ‘Tijuca’, which entered service earlier this year, is the biggest ship ever to bring Chevrolet cars to the UK. It has five separate loading decks and has an unladen weight of more than 30,000 metric tons.
- For our first impressions of the Holden Cruze, click here.
- For a full review of the Holden Cruze, click here.
- To see how the Holden Cruze compares to its rivals, click here.
Print it: 
My gawd, that front end design is just a complete and utter disaster!
Its not the best looker but people for some reason are snapping them up i guess they must be marketing them very well like they are here…
I think the cruze looks a winner. your just too used to the bland VW look.
now just needs better engines… counting the months.
I can’t recall badging on any other car that detracts from the overall look, as much as the Chevrolet monstrousity on the front of these Cruises. Hideous.
If it were marketed here as a daewoo i would be praising it but you can do better holden
I believe the Cruze is probably the best car GM has put out for awhile and the market seem to agree. It’s probably something they should’ve put out 5 years or more ago though.
And ofcourse a big part of the reason why it’s selling so well here and getting so much praise is because it has a Holden badge on it. I really don’t like how Holden have made it like it’s something totally aussie made and developed. They did say they put all their know how from big cars to making this small car…? It’s disgraceful really.
Well said Big End and Nobody, I absolutely agree. The Cruze looks so cheap and it can`t even beat a 5yr old Focus, but the blind faithful will buy it because it has Holden badge.
It’s all in the fine print guys: A delivery to dealer is considered a sale to customer in GM. speak. Don’t believe the hype.
This mediocrity won’t stack against the Euro’s.
holden claimed that Cruze use 7.5l/1ookms… but actually they use a lot more that that(Caradvice and wheel magazine)about 9.3l/100Kms.. If the consumer know that who are going to buy this car. (OH!my god almost 2 lites different) holden what are ytou thinking??????
You’ve got to love sales spin. Its over 10,000AUD cheaper than the new astra??? (£5000). Thats a good selling point.
Is it any good?. Only time will tell. But I can’t believe the amount of marketing behind this car.
so they sold a thousand,BIG DEAL.if my memory’s right,they sold about 25,000 astra’s a year(at bigger dollars)when they had it.it would not surprise me at all if HOLDEN sold 1000 cruze’s this month…
The Cruze isn’t replacing a better car in England because the Astra is sold as a Vauxhall over there. A bit different in Australia.
I agree with most on the amount of marketing behind this car.
They are giving this thing air time around the clock non stop (exaggerating), and some of the things they are saying would have to be border line false advertising.
Its a bloody good campaign they are running, hats off to them.
One of the blokes that works for me asked me the other day to confirm that holden had badged a vehicle a cruze before.
I agreed they had indeed and then asked why…..
He told a mate of his was about to go and look at the cruze as a replacement to his Barina.
I asked him did he know its a Korean made car?
He said “no, but isnt it the car thats meant to save Australia”……
I just shook my head
Remember the marketing campaign isnt pitching it as a beautiful car. Even Holden wouldnt stoop that low. Their merely saying, its really safe, really affordable, and really well equipped. No where does it get any mention of beauty. But the Holden version looks bucketloads better than this American/Korean machine.
In all fairness GM own the factory/company in Korea and given that it looks like a 3/4 size VE(not a bad thing) then I reckon it would be safe to believe that GM did have major design input.
Anybody that says the finish is below par is deluding themselves.
Focus is a good car but Cruze does look better and finished better IMO.
Don’t they plan to build it here provided the numbers are high enough?
Shak, did you mean ‘The Korean Holden version looks bucketloads better than this Korean Chevrolet version?’
They are both Korean, only the detailing and badgework is different.
This anti Korean jibe is getting boring.
Yes i did Captain. And Realcars has got the right idea. Stop bagging the Koreans and just accept that they are going places in the world. We should give them a chance to develop, and with the backing(money) of an established car company ( Holden) the koreans should start to improve.
A possible reason for so many people degrading the Cruze despite the fact that they haven’t even driven one and most likely never will
Could be because that they feel threatened by it… well not just the Cruze but the other cars coming out of Korea ATM
The design and build quality of the Korean cars has improved alot over the last decade.. Hyundai is a perfect example of this and given time I expect that Daewoo will probably be the same.. They’ve improved more than Daihatsu
For what they are the Korean cars are exceptional value for money particularly with the list of features you can now get.
Would I buy one? I don’t know it depends however; I wouldn’t
just disregard it because of where it comes from like so many on here appear to be doing.
Holden can’t get enough of the European designed Cruzes, they are selling them as quick as the dealers can get them at the moment.
I’m starting to see them everywhere in Sydney already.
Holden have a definite hit on their hands.
Nice one Holden.
Dan, the Cruze isn’t a Daewoo. Yes it is built in Korea, Daewoo’s domain, but it is a global design and build by GM. Korea is just the cheapest place they can build it.
see how much more attractive it looks now without the holden front bumper. doesn’t look like a wannabe gangsta gar new. it doesn’t need chrome
Drove the Cruze loved it waiting for mine to arrive. You people need to wake up and support Australian car companies. If Holden and Ford go then all you will have to #$%% about is Jap cars. Shame on you all, well done Holden, I will support you and the country you stand for.
What you fail to realise Mike, is your not helping or supporting an australian car co, as the cruze you have bought is manufactured in Korea in the old Daewoo plant,
so your helping the korean economy/car industry more than australias. Had you waited 12 months for the australian built cruzes then that would be different!!
Yep, the best way to support the Australian car industry is to buy a commodore/falcon/camry/aurion.
Deco is right.. the Pontiac Vibe was identical to the [US] Toyota Voltz / Toyota Matrix in virtually every way apart from looks.. It was essentially a re-badged Toyota and they were both built at the same factory in California
Ironically; the build quality; handling and performance etc of the Vibe was just as bad as that of the Toyota sourced Holden Appollo or Nova.
What’s so Australian about this car? How much say or input did Holden actually have in the Cruze? Whatever the case, it’s good they’ll be eventually building it here – means alot of people at the Holden plant will keep their jobs.
Guys,,,,
That it’s built here means jack (incs. you too Ford and BigT[tm.F-0]) because they are all owned and run by OVERSEAS concerns.
While i drive a Aussie built Falcon it has NOTHING to do that its built here in Oz, the simple fact i purchased it is ye’ol V/F/M, value-for-money, NO other ute [duty free from Thailand] offered more vehicle for less, NONE had car like ride, low NVH [ie they are all truck based], safety etc etc like the Falcon other than the Commodore [bench seat// cab chassis please GM/H] so it was a easy choice.
You buy what gives you the best bang for buck, supporting something because its Aussie made is great but not the be-end-of-all
Cheers
F-0
Nobody, Holden had a significant input of the design and the engineering side of the Cruze.
Says who Mumble Duck, Holden? Of course they’d say that, its the car company that also proudly says its Barina is perfect for young drivers with its 4 star safety rating, when nearly all its competitors are 5 star.
It’s very cheap there.
I think the top cruze is something like:
1,500 pounds cheaper than the base focus,
1,000 pounds cheaper than a base mazda 3 and
the same price as the cheapest golf (a model that I think is below the base model we get here)
Compared with here where:
The BASE cruze is $500 more than the CL Focus and only $1,000 cheaper than the Mazda 3 (Ok, the golf is a bit expensive at $5,000 more)
I’m not saying that the cruze is rubbish – I just don’t know (although I’m look at that rear torsion beam with suspicion), but the competition is strong and in this country, they are the same price.
Anti-spam word – Daewoo (haha)
Actually the base Cruze is $1000 cheaper than the Focus CL and Mazda 3 Neo!
Mike and LN, I’m interested what you liked/hated about the car.
LN what have you or what are you considering to buy instead?
Frenchie –
$1,000 cheaper than the ford or mazda?
Really?
It’s hard to get a proper price off the web because of the brands dragging their heels on proper pricing, but looking through wheels mag has:
Focus CL – $20,490
Cruse 1.8 CD – $20,990
Mazda 3 Neo – $21,990
all prices not including on roads.
anyway, the point I was making is that in the UK it is priced significantly cheaper than those seen as competition here.
In the UK it is priced as a Daewoo. Here it is priced as a Holden
Holden should have done the right thing from the start and built it in the Elizabeth Bay(?)Plant. Would have been better for the Jobs in Australia.
Anyway I’m waiting for the Australian made Hatch.
Two things have become apparent:
1. The Cruze is being well recieved by the buying public and why wouldn’t it, as (according to reviews on this site and others) it is a decent vehicle that represents excellent value for the $$ outlay required.
2. The standard of posts in this forum continues to be extremely low, with the same people making the same comments and pushing their same agendas.
News Flash: The buying public will decide with their wallets…THAT is the ONLY thing that matters to any car company, Holden included, and all your whining and sour grapes amount to zilch zip nothing but pungent odour sucking up bandwidth
enjoy
As I have said previously I think that Holden should have built a locally made version of the [AWD] Insignia instead of the Cruze.
Not only because GM are going to sell Opel [or at least have a 20% share in the European car company if the Magna deal goes ahead] and the Insignia is one of the best cars in the current GM Line-up..
But also because the Cruze is being built in at least 3 other countries; including Korea – where its cheaper for Holden to import cars from than it is from Europe.
However; at least the Cruze Hatch will ensure Holdens future in Oz for at least the next 10-20 years.
Dave, try Redbook.com.au. I believe that the Cruze price is drive away no more to pay, but I think some Holden dealers are doing their own thing. I think some Ford dealers are now doing the drive away price too on Focus.
Frenchie –
I’ll take your word for it.
Whether there is $1,000 in it or not, it is pretty close.
The point I was making was that, in the UK the cruze is a focus sized car for fiesta type money. That’s its edge in the market. It is priced like a Kia.
Here the cruze is focus sized car for focus type money.
Competition at the $20k-25k price point is fierce.
While reviews have praised the car’s interior features, the lack of independent rear suspension and the poor engine (petrol at least) are disappointing. Obviously there are some reasons to choose it over the competition, but the point I’m making is that for the UK customer, the cruze is the equivalent of a $19k car, not a $21k car which it is here.
Obviously the market will have the final say, but if it does not work I want Holden to realise why this one hasn’t worked and change their approach accordingly and not throw their hands up in the air and say “The market doesn’t want a car this size. Let’s build another commodore derivative.”
You cant fairly compare the price of the base models of other small cars against the Cruz.
Holden chose to be a leader in safety in small cars and include stability control and 6 air bags.
By the time you option up the others or move up to their mid or top spec models to get 5 star safety for your children you are looking at probably $5000+ more.
Compare it to the Honda Civic which shamefully is only a 4 star car – not good enough, and compare the Thai build to the Korean build quality and open your eyes.
Holden has a great car at a great price for Australain families.
Do I want one? well no – I can afford more, but buyers in this price range should look with an open mind.
Bagging it just because its sold by holden or just because it made in Korea is narrow minded and out of touch with the state of the car industry in 2009.
Open you eyes and join the 21st centuary.
I totally agree with u “What The”. Leave Holden alone. Already dealing with crap from ppl cause its made in Korea. Wow. Build a bridge & get over it. Aussie made Cruze will be a sucess. Go HOLDEN! :)
BTW, Anyone got news on Astra’s future?
Wheelnut, I haven’t miss understud anything, it’s your mate Deco, that did that did!!
Mike please… Buying this foreign made, foreign owned car will not benefit Australia anymore, then if you purchase a Great Wall Motor car or a Benz…
You have the right idea What The. People should stop bagging on Holden and just see this as Holden trying to move in the right direction. First people bagged then for not making a small car, and now when they get a reasonable car people bag that. You guys send Holden mixed signals and then cry when they misinterpret them. Get over it and support your nation.
Shak, the direction most of us want to see Holden move in is towards bankruptcy and liquidation. This is really a class war against the bogan and lower classes. Deny the enemy of their transport…and you’ve won the battle!
The Liquidator – That is true However; given that of late the courts have been handing down extremely light gaol sentences or a small fine; not to mention that a number of States around Australia have introduced anti-hoon laws where they will confiscate and even crush cars
Therefore if the “Enemy” are deprived of their Transport [Holdens} they will most likely resort to stealing cars belonging to the Victors.. which means that you could lose your Lexus BMW Merc-Benz etc
The Liquidator – As a matter of interest.. how do you come to the conclusion that “the direction most of us want to see Holden move in is towards bankruptcy and liquidation.”
Or are you just trying to pass of your opinion as Fact as so many other people on this site who love to Bag Holden do?
The Liquidator – Sounds like someone liquidated your brain.
Wheelnut®™
You CAN by a car with a GM badge on it, in fact all of GM’s cars sold in the US wear the GM excellence badge.
Liquidator many people actually dont want to see Holden fail. Just because at one pint in time only bogans bought them they become the Bogan car maker. its because of simple minded people like you that Holden is trying to shake off that image. By your logic only Nazi’s drive Mercedes’. Get some more scope when it comes to maufacturing. Your grandchildren will probably be driving around in Geely’s and they’ll like them.
Lomg live Australia’s car industry.
Andrew – take a look in the back section of any issue of Motor or Wheels or any other major car magazines where they list the car prices and specifications etc of the various makes and models of cars and see if you can find the marque “GM”
Wheels: ….Dodge; Elfin; Ferrari; Fist; Ford; FPV; Holden; HSV; Honda …. No! No “GM” listed there
Top Gear: ….Dodge; Ferrari; Fiat; Ford; Honda; Hyundai…. No! no “GM” There either
I mena Fuji Heavy Industries aren’t a car manufacturer However; they own Subaru which does make cars and is a recognised Marque…. That is my Point