Click above for high-res gallery of the 2011 Chevy Cruze

Chevrolet has just released official photos of the first car to be based on the company's next generation Delta platform, also known officially as the Global Compact Car platform. The Chevy Cruze will get its official debut at the Paris Motor Show in October and will be available globally starting in Europe next March. The U.S. market should get the Cruze about a year later with initial sales alongside the existing Cobalt, though eventually the Cobalt goes away in favor of the Cruze. At its European launch the Cruze will have 1.6L and 1.8L gas four-cylinders with variable valve timing and a new 2.0L diesel good for 150 hp. The U.S. market Cruze is expected to debut with the new 1.4L direct injected turbo four that will be built in Flint, MI. Cruzes for North American drivers will be built at GM's Lordstown, OH plant alongside the Cobalt.

The Cruze platform will ultimately spawn a whole plethora of small vehicles in the GM family, including the next generation Astra and a compact MPV to replace the Zafira. That MPV is planned to be built in Detroit alongside another member of the Delta family, something called the Volt. The Volt will have different styling and a hatchback body style along with a normally aspirated version of the 1.4L to charge its lithium ion battery pack. The Volt will also share many under-body components with the Cruze. More details on the Cruze are after the jump.


[Source: General Motors]

Peugeot has just released a group of teaser images of the new concept it will be unveiling at the Paris Motor Show in October. The RC is a four door, four seat coupe that features a hybrid powertrain. Peugeot hasn't provided any other details yet, but the previous RC Spade and RC Diamond concepts from 2002 and the 908 RC from 2006 were all diesel powered. Considering that Peugeot runs diesels in the Le Mans Series and previously showed a 308 diesel hybrid, it seems a safe bet that the new concept will also use a similar setup. Peugeot claims an output of 313hp and carbon dioxide emissions of 109 g/km when running in hybrid mode.


[Source: Peugeot]

Click the Ka for a high-res gallery

The world will get its first official look at the new Ford Ka at the Paris Motor Show in about 6 weeks. However the production crew of the new James Bond flick have been seeing and driving it for months. Ford's new city car will be wielded by the the female lead in Quantum of Solace starting in November. The rampant product placement of the Casino Royale looks set for a re-run in the new movie. We still don't know if or when Americans will ever get a chance to tool around in a Ka, but if gas prices spike again, it's not beyond the realm of possibility. In the meantime you can check out the Polish assembled Ka in the gallery.


[Source: Ford]

What looks like a Prius, sips gas like a Prius, comes from Japan like a Prius... but isn't a Prius? That would be Honda's upcoming dedicated hybrid (which this particular blogger thinks should be called the Insight, but won't be). We are expecting the production version of the new model, of which we have seen these spy shots, to debut this October in the City of Lights, Paris. Thanks to the use of a refined and less-costly version of Honda Integrated Motor Assist along with a 1.3-liter gas-burner, the new hybrid model should attain fuel mileage in the 50-60 mpg range, matching what's expected from the next-gen Prius that should be unveiled January in Detroit in January.

We are pretty excited to see this new hybrid rivalry go into full swing, with Toyota's incumbent model in its third generation and Honda finally offering a four-door dedicated hybrid. The Honda should come in at a slightly more attractive price but will also be a bit smaller than the Toyota. Both will use nickel-based batteries, eschewing the newer but pricier lithium ions that will likely take over in a few years. The Honda should finally see the light of day in April of 2009 and the automaker hopes to sell half of the 200,000 it plans to produce in the U.S.


[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Suzuki already has a little experience with vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells, as its Crosscage motorcycle concept has been around the block a few times already since it first debuted in Tokyo last year. That two-wheeler is now a running prototype and will again be shown off in its latest form at the upcoming Paris Motor Show. Along with the Crosscage will be Suzuki's SX4 FCV, a hatchback with a fuel cell provided by General Motors.

Along with the hydrogen-powered electric machines on display, Suzuki will also debut its new Alto economy car. Built in India by the Suzuki/Maruti joint venture, the seventh-generation Alto will likely get a 1.0-liter engine which will be fully Euro V emissions compliant. While the fuel cell vehicles are likely still a ways off from regular production, the Alto will be on sale in India and in Europe shortly after the Paris Motor Show in October. We've pasted the press release after the break.


[Source: Suzuki]

The new low cost dedicated hybrid that we've been seeing spy shots of in tested is expected to get its world debut at the Paris Motor show in October. The five door hatchback draws much of its styling from the FCX Clarity fuel cell car, but scaled down to Prius dimensions. Honda has claimed that it will halve the the cost of its IMA hybrid system allowing a price of as low as $18,500 for the new car. The car which like the Prius will only be available as a hybrid will also get a name when it rolls out onto the Paris stage. Over the next couple of years, it will be joined by a second hybrid only model, a coupe based on the CR-Z concept as well as a hybrid version of the Fit.

[Source: Inside Line]

Chevrolet's next new compact car will make its debut in October at the Paris Motor Show with a new name. The Chevy Cruze is the Chevrolet brand version of GM's global compact car platform known as Delta. The Cruze will be built in a number of locations around the world including Lordstown, Ohio beginning in spring 2009. When the Cruze launches in the U.S. it will initially be built alongside the existing Cobalt, which will likely be offered only in cheaper low content versions for another year or two. The Cruze will be powered by GM's new turbocharged 1.4L four cylinder that will eventually see use in a variety of GM small cars. The platform of the Cruze will also form the underpinnings of the next generation Opel/Saturn Astra and the Chevrolet Volt. The GM press release is after the jump.

[Source: General Motors]

The next iteration of General Motors Global Compact Car or Delta platform will provide the basis of a variety of models sold everywhere. Among those are the Chevy Cobalt and Saturn/Opel Astra as well as the Opel Zafira MPV and, of course, the upcoming Chevrolet Volt. The first next-gen Delta cars are expected to come to market next year as 2010 models, but we may get our first official look at some of them as soon as this October at the Paris Motor Show. Two Chevrolet-badged Deltas are expected in France, the conventional one that will likely supplant the current Daewoo-built Lacetti and the production shape of the Volt. We've seen hints of where the Volt is going with the wind tunnel models but everyone has been waiting patiently to see it in final form with all the detailing. GM is also expected to make an announcement in Paris about an Opel/Vauxhall-badged E-Flex vehicle going into production with a diesel range extender. Expect that one to look much like the Flextreme concept but without the pair of on-board Segways.

[Source: Channel4.com]