Paris 2010: Chevrolet Previews Cruze Hatchback

GM has kicked the hype machine into top gear for the upcoming US launch of the Cruze, their competitor in the Civic/Corolla compact car class. If I were them, I would too: their history of making compact cars that aren't totally horrible is... uhh, in fact they never have.  Vega!  Cavalier!  Sunfire! Chevette!  Cobalt!  Aaaargh!

But initial reviews of their upcoming Cobalt replacement, the Cruze, have been overwhelmingly positive.  The ground seems to be growing cold, somewhere far below my feet...  Well, unlikeliness of the situation aside, the Cruze is said to be a totally competitive, well-thought out and well-built car that's ready to take on the compact class with everything it's got.  And GM just dropped pictures of the other card up it's sleeve today, an attractive 5-door hatchback variant that will be debuting at this year's Paris Auto Show.

You can obviously tell it's a Cruze from the front - if you ignore the show car glitz like the LED headlights - and barring some minor changes, this is what it's going to look like when it hits dealer floors some time early next year.  So what have we got here?  Well, in my eyes, there's a whole lot of Vauxhall Astra to be seen from the B-pillar back, and I actually see a bit of Mazda in the rear taillights.  Considering some of the crap GM has put their name on in the past, this is a remarkably cohesive styling job.  The kinked C-pillar is a bit derivative and there's too much blank real estate on the back end, but it's still a squat, well-proportioned little thing.

Expect the hatchback cruise to ship with identical powertrains as the regular model - including 1.8 ecotec, 1.4L Turbo, and some nifty turbodiesels - when it goes on sale next year.  And here's hoping for a Cruze SS with the GM "LNF" 2.0L direct-injected turbo motor.  Sadly, it's unlikely that GM will offer the Cruze hatchback in the US (since we clearly don't like useful cars), because that would give it a leg up on competitors like the Civic, Corolla, and Sentra which are sedan-only.  I'll keep my fingers crossed anyway...