{"id":75147,"date":"2014-04-20T09:49:50","date_gmt":"2014-04-20T13:49:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=75147"},"modified":"2014-04-20T09:49:50","modified_gmt":"2014-04-20T13:49:50","slug":"chevrolet-makes-trax-as-it-cruzes-into-beijing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2014\/04\/chevrolet-makes-trax-as-it-cruzes-into-beijing\/","title":{"rendered":"Chevrolet Makes Trax as it Cruzes into Beijing"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
GM global design chief Ed Welburn helps reveal the new Chevrolet Cruze.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

General Motors stages a Broadway Style extravaganza at one of Beijing\u2019s newest landmarks \u2013 the Water Cube from the 2008 Olympics \u2013 for the debut of the new Chevrolet Cruze.<\/p>\n

The new model, which will eventually make its journey to the U.S., as well, shared the spotlight with the new Chevrolet Trax introduced earlier in the week at the New York Auto Show.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Cruze in for a Free Subscription!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cChina is a very important opportunity for the Chevrolet brand,\u201d said Alan Batey, the head of the Chevrolet brand worldwide, as the Cruze rolled out.<\/p>\n

Beijing was the right place to introduce the new Cruze, said Ed Welburn, GM vice president of global design, because the current model has already been on the market in China for two years longer than it has been in either North America or Europe.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The Chevy Trax also made a Beijing appearance after its NY Auto Show debut.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The new Cruze that debuted on the eve of the Beijing International Auto Show embodies the international design language that GM is using on the Chevrolet brand around the world, added Welburn, who declined to say when the next-generation compact will appear in the U.S. However, he did suggest it would be relatively soon.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt won\u2019t be as long (a wait) as it was in the past,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

(Lincoln reveals new MKX Concept in Beijing. <\/em>Click Here<\/span><\/a> for a closer look.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The new Chevrolet Cruze design features a more coupe-like look to enhance aerodynamics and give it a more passionate appearance, said Wellburn.<\/p>\n

It gets a more steeply raked windshield, a wider stance, strong muscular surfaces and a new face, complete with advanced headlights, textured grille and new fascia, Welburn noted during the press presentation. \u201cCruze is a fresh statement for Chevrolet,\u201d he said, and it also is proof that \u201cDesign with a Heartbeat,\u201d is more than just a slogan for GM and Chevrolet.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a tremendous design that makes a modern statement,\u201d added Welburn, who notes the final design was heavily influenced by a concept car that GM first unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in 2012. The final version also was influenced by GM designers in China, as well as Europe \u2013 where the project was finalized.<\/p>\n

The new Cruze also features new powertrains built around two versions of the EcoTec small displacement engine \u2013 GM promising a significant improvement in fuel-economy, anywhere from 14 to 21%. GM will start rolling out the new engines — a 1.4-liter turbocharged inline-four, and a 1.5-liter naturally aspirated I-4 — this year.<\/p>\n

GM also used the preview to roll out the Chinese version of the new Chevrolet Trax compact sport utility vehicle. Trax was also unveiled in New York last week.<\/p>\n

(<\/em>Click<\/span> <\/em>Here<\/span><\/a> for a closer look at the new Chevy Trax.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Trax is specifically designed to appeal to youthful buyers in their 30s with young families, and GM is preparing to put an extensive marketing campaign behind both new Chinese models in its bid to regain market sales leadership \u2013 something it lose to rival Volkswagen AG last year.<\/p>\n

GM\u2019s marketing efforts in China have grown steadily more sophisticated, and to help sell the Trax specifically, GM and its principal Chinese partner, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp., have recruited two youthful personalities familiar to moviegoers and television watchers in China. Taiwanese actor Kai Ko and Amber Kuo will serve as the brand ambassadors.<\/p>\n

The Trax also has a role in the upcoming Transformers 4 movie. The entire Transformer series has helped make Chevrolet better known to younger buyers, Welburn said.<\/p>\n

(Volvo showing off innovative S60L Plug-In Hybrid in Beijing. <\/em>Click Here<\/a> to check it out.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

General Motors stages a Broadway Style extravaganza at one of Beijing\u2019s newest landmarks \u2013 the Water Cube from the 2008 Olympics \u2013 for the debut of the new Chevrolet Cruze. TheDetroitBureau.com was on hand for its unveiling.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20009,"featured_media":75148,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[151],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75147"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20009"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75147"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75147\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75147"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=75147"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=75147"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=75147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}