GM to Delay Launch of Fuel-Efficient Chevy Cruze Until Mid-Summer

GM to Delay Launch of Fuel-Efficient Chevy Cruze Until Mid-Summer

By John O'Dell October 29, 2009

The Chevrolet Cruze compact that was supposed to get General Motors off to a good start in the 2010 summer selling season will be a late starter instead.

The automaker has decided to push back the Cruze launch date until at least early July.

Initially, GM has planned to start production in April, with sales to follow soon after. But that was an artificially compressed schedule, according to spokesman Klaus Peter-Martin.

It would have meant, among other thing's that the only engine available at launch would have been the a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder fuel economy engine, capable of delivering an EPA rating, GM insiders suspect, on the order of 40 MPG or more.

Why, we ask, is that such a bad thing?  (We know, variety is the spice of life.)

With the delay, GM also will be able to offer a slightly more powerful and less miserly 1.8-liter engine option.

Because the car's success is so important to GM"s future, the company's post-bankruptcy management team has decided to hold back to make sure the launch goes off without a hitch and isn't followed by embarrassing reliability problems, or weak sales, caused by rushing to market without sufficient quality control time or enough engine choices.

John O'Dell, Senior Editor

John O'Dell:  is an AutoObserver Senior Editor. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.