GM to Cruze on new platform from now

New Delhi: US carmaker General Motors has launched its premium sedan Chevrolet Cruze at an introductory price ranging betwee Rs10.99 and Rs12.45 lakh (ex- showroom, Delhi) in the Indian market.

Karl Slym, president and managing director, General Motors India, said, "Cruze is the first product from our third generation 300-series platform. Although our existing models will continue on the current platforms, all our future products in India will come out from this new platform," he said.

The Cruze is powered by a 2.0-litre diesel engine, which it shares with sports utility vehicle Captiva, and comes in two variants the LZ and LT.

GM also plans to launch a 1.8-litre petrol variant, as well as the automatic variant of the diesel Cruze next year. The Cruze is based on the JS 300 platform designed in Korea in association with General Motors Daewoo Automotive and Technology and is the first offering from this platform in India.

Available in two variants LZ and LT and six colours the Cruze has a 2. l-litre diesel engine that produces 140 BHP and 327 nm torque. According to figures from the Automotive Research Association of India Cruze's 2 litre engine gives 18. 3 km/l fuel economy.

The company is offering a 100,000 km warranty on the car, which comes with 5-speed manual transmission. The car has safety features like anti-lock brakes and an electronic stability programme as standard equipment. Other features include power steering and a one touch down delayed operation for power windows and ORVMS.