The Holden Cruze sedan has been on sale here in NZ for quite a while, but now the first images of its hatchback sibling have been released. The images show the Cruze hatch in concept form and wearing a Chevrolet front end, but still provide an accurate idea of what we can expect from the production version.
The Holden-designed Cruz hatch will be officially unveiled at the Paris Motor Show later this month and will be marketed as a global model for GM, being Chevrolet badge in most countries. However, assembly for Australian and NZ markets will be carried out across the ditch from late 2011.
In terms of styling Holden’s Cruze will likely get a different nose, badges, and of course, right-hand drive to help it stand out from its Chevrolet cousin.
The Cruze Hatchback show car, designed and built by Holden at its Port Melbourne design studio, is the result of a full year’s worth of work using input from GM designers around the world.
Richard Ferlazzo, Holden’s chief designer, says, “Our brief was to create an alternative body style to the traditional sedan that retained the same dynamic proportions that has made Cruze such a success around the world. We are very proud of the result which will be tailored further for the Australian market and given an appearance consistent with the rest of the Holden portfolio next year.”
Despite what appears to be a smaller shape, Holden claims luggage capacity in the Cruze Hatchback will be very close to the 400 litre capacity of the sedan, and the rear seats feature a 60/40 split fold.
LA Auto Show in December.
