New Cruze will get up to 40 mpg

[rickaren]

Chevrolet says new Cruze will get up to 40 mpg

Posted on Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 at 2:09 PM EST. (Employee News)

General Motors Co., battered and bruised but still swinging, is taking a shot at Honda and Toyota with the Chevrolet Cruze, an attractive if pedestrian compact sedan it promises will deliver as much as 40 mpg on the highway, Wired.com reported.

The General unveiled the 2011 Cruze at the Los Angeles Auto Show and said it would deliver best-in-class fuel economy in a package far nicer than you might expect from a compact car, the Web site said. The Cruze is aimed squarely at the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, and Brent Dewar, GM vice president for Chevrolet, says it will “challenge preconceived notions about what a compact car can be,” the story said.

That high-efficiency model sports a 1.4-liter turbocharged engine producing 138 horsepower and 148-pound-feet of torque, Wired said. It is mated to a six-speed gearbox—both a manual and automatic are offered—and features electric power steering to further improve efficiency, the publication said. GM didn’t offer any specific fuel economy numbers beyond the highway figure. According to the story, the top-of-the-line LS model get a 1.8-liter four-banger.

The Cruze rolls into showrooms next fall, the site said. No word yet on the price, the story said. (Wired.com)