Cruze-Control, maybe on-track but not on-road!

To begin with, one has to state, that Motorsport victories and Motorsport heritage are a very efficient tool for marketing a brand and to improve its image and sales numbers.

Furthermore, large automotive companies also implement technologies taken from the Motorsport to street cars, after extensively testing it and adjusting it for the use on the road. All the above-mentioned facts also indicate that leading automotive car maker spend large sums of money and know-how, to secure victory in the motorsport disciplines to be used as walking advertisement.

As General Motors Egypt, does not regard it as an effective marketing tool to improve sales of their cars by educating their prospects and clients, about the success of the Chevrolet Cruze at the WTCC (FIA World Touring Car Championship), we at Autoarabia have decided to do what their PR and advertising agencies have omitted doing.

Chevrolet’s Alain Menu claimed his first victory of the season, his first since Brands Hatch in 2009, at Oschersleben’s Motorsport Arena last week while team-mate Rob Huff was black flagged whilst driving in leading position.

Pole man Augusto Farfus finished second ahead of championship leader Yvan Muller, while reigning champion Gabriele Tarquini failed to finish due to a technical defect.

Kristian Poulsen won the Independents’ Trophy and Michel Nykjaer took the rookie honors.

Norbert Michelisz came through from P15 on the grid to finish eighth and winning pole position for Race 2.

In an eventful rolling start, Augusto Farfus was hit by Huff’s Chevrolet whilst trying to break into the first corner.

Farfus ran wide allowing Huff and Menu to pass through. Menu had already made contact with Gabriele Tarquini, the pair collecting Andy Priaulx.

The Seat driver tried to limp back to the pits but eventually stopped out on track, while Priaulx continued although down in seventh.

Jordi Gen?© and Fredy Barth made contact spinning off on lap one but both rejoining as Darryl O’Young spun into the gravel at the Bauer-Kurve and made it back to the pits.

By the end of lap one Muller had got back ahead of Nykjaer making the order now Huff leading from, Menu, Coronel, Farfus, Nykjaer, Muller, Monteiro, Priaulx, D’Aste and Michelisz.

After the first corner contact Huff was punished with a drive through penalty which turned into a black flag as the Brit did not come into the pits within three laps.

The action did not stop there as Farfus moved ahead of Coronel with a clean maneuver and further down the field Andrei Romanov came together with season newcomer Yukinori Taniguchi with both spinning but rejoining.

The race was on for the Independents’ win was between Poulsen and Hern??ndez. The pair fought for ten laps with Poulsen pushing the Spaniard hard.

He eventually found a way through to take the lead at the last corner to finish ninth overall.
After Huff pulled into the pits his team-mate Menu took over the lead from Farfus, Muller, Coronel, Monteiro, Priaulx, Nykjaer and Michelisz.

Franz Engstler passed Mehdi Bennani for third in the Independents’ and despite Farfus closing the gap down on the final lap, Alain Menu succeeded in taking the victory home for Chevrolet, the first ever for the manufacturer at Oschersleben.

Farfus and Muller completed the podium ahead of Coronel, Monteiro and Priaulx. Nykjaer finished seventh while Michelisz arrived in eighth.

Race 2 was won by Andy Priaulx. While Alain Menu gave Chevrolet their first victory on the German track, the Briton scored his sixth win of the season and moved further ahead in the Drivers’ Championship in race 2. In the two latest meetings, Priaulx has recovered 38 points from the leader Yvan Muller, reducing his gap to 11, and now he has also jumped ahead of Gabriele Tarquini (who has scored only 2 points in the three latest races) in second position.

In the manufacturer’s standings of the WTCC, Chevrolet is leading with 503 points, with BMW following with 453 points and Seat closely following in third place with 447 points.

Whereas on-track, Chevrolet is giving their opponents a run for their money, off race-track activities related to the Cruze model policy are kept in Egypt behind closed doors, as Chevrolet consumers and prospects in Egypt are tricked these days by Mansour Chevrolet to buy the Cruze model with various sales methods, advertising campaigns and discounts, in order to get rid of the current Spartan outfitted stock before the all-new 2011 model, engine specifications and trims hit the streets.

The reason why the Cruze model marketed and sold exclusively by Mansour Chevrolet in Egypt is regarded as a Spartan outfitted when compared to their standard internationally corresponding model can be easily seen from the following:

Cruze Base:
• Ashtray and lighter, info display, radio, time and outside temperature
• Primary & additional foldable Key, power outlet, rear auxiliary
• Seat adjuster, driver 2-way manual, steering column, Tilt-Wheel
• Steering column lock, power Steering
• Air conditioning, single-zone electronic
• Engine immobilizer, theft-deterrent system, audio system, AM/FM stereo with CD-ROM
• Instrument panel, Black cluster
• Tires, P205/65R15-94V all-season, blackwall, mirrors, outside manual, manual-folding, door handles, black

Cruze LSMT:
• Ashtray and lighter, console with sliding armrest, info display, radio, time and outside temperature
• Primary & additional foldable key, power outlet, rear auxiliary, seat adjuster, driver 2-way manual
• Steering column, tilt-Wheel, steering column lock, sunglasses overhead storage, power windows front, power Steering
• Air conditioning, single-zone electronic, engine immobilizer, theft-deterrent system, audio system, AM/FM stereo with CD-ROM, headrests, 4-way adjustable, instrument panel, black cluster
• Fog lamps, front, high-mounted center stop lamp, tires, P205/65R15-94V all-season, blackwall
• Mirrors, outside heated, power-adjustable, manual-folding
• Door handles, body color

Cruze LSAT:
• Ashtray and lighter, console with sliding armrest, info display, radio, time and outside temperature
• Primary & additional foldable key, power outlet, rear auxiliary, seat adjuster, driver 2-way manual
• Steering column, Tilt-Wheel, steering column lock, sunglasses overhead storage, power windows front, power steering
• Air conditioning, single-zone electronic, lockable glove box, engine immobilizer, theft-deterrent system, audio system, AM/FM stereo with CD-ROM, headrests, 4-way adjustable, instrument panel, black cluster
• Fog lamps, front, high-mounted center stop lamp, tires, P205/65R15-94V all-season, blackwall
• Mirrors, outside heated, power-adjustable, manual-folding
• Door handles, body-color

Cruze LTAT:
• Ashtray and lighter, console with sliding armrest, primary & additional foldable Key
• Power outlet, rear auxiliary, seat adjuster, driver 4-way manual, split-folding rear seat, steering column, tilt-Wheel & telescopic, steering column lock, sunglasses overhead storage, power windows front, power windows rear, mirror, inside rearview auto-dimming, power steering, air conditioning, single-zone electronic, lockable glove box, multi function steering wheel, theft-deterrent system, engine immobilizer, theft-deterrent system, 2 Air bags, driver and passenger frontal, audio system, AM/FM stereo with CD-ROM
• Headrests, 4-way adjustable, instrument panel, black cluster includes black rings with silver accents
• Fog lamps, front, high-mounted center stop lamp, tires, P205/65R15-94V all-season, blackwall
• Mirrors, outside heated, power-adjustable, manual-folding , door handles, body-color with chrome strips
(http://www.gmegypt.com/content_data/LAAM/ME/en/GBPME/001/EG/1F/1F_home.html?cntryCd=EG)

The Paris Motor Show-which will be held between the 2nd and 17th of October 2010-will witness the presentation of the Cruze Hatchback with a contoured roofline, and sedan equivalent solidity due to the implementation of the body-frame integral system.

The Cruze Hatchback also makes extensive use of light weight materials and possesses a cargo capacity of nearly 400 liters and featuring 60/40 split rear seating.

Particularly interesting will be the fact, that this month-and after being unveiled back in November 2009 at the Los Angeles International Auto Show- Chevrolet will start to deliver the Cruze sedan in the US at a minimum price of US$16,995 for the baseline LS trim. Coupled with this model is a 1.8-litre Ecotec engine producing 103kW (138 bhp/ 140 PS), a 6-speed manual transmission, 10 airbags (e.g.curtain-side airbags, front- and rear-side airbags, and front-knee airbag), Standard StabiliTrak electronic stability control, traction control, anti-lock brakes , air conditioning, power windows and a host of other features.

For the Egyptian car market however, definitely more interesting will be the LT model propelled by a high-torque 1.4-litre Ecotec turbo engine producing 138 hp and equipped with an-up-to-date 6-speed automatic transmission and 16-inch wheels.

The 2011 Cruze will be offered for retail sale in four models:

Cruze LS starting at $16,995, including:
• Standard 1.8L Ecotec engine and six-speed manual transmission
• The most standard safety features in the segment, with 10 air bags, StabiliTrak electronic stability control with rollover sensing, traction control, anti-lock brakes, collapsible pedal system, power rear-door child safety locks
• Standard OnStar, with a six-month subscription including Turn-by-Turn navigation
• Standard convenience features including air conditioning, power windows, power door locks with remote keyless entry, driver information center, and XM Radio with three month trial subscription

Cruze LT starting at $18,895, including:
• Standard 1.4L Ecotec turbo and six-speed automatic transmission
• 16-inch wheels
Cruze Eco starting at $18,895, including:
• Standard 1.4L Ecotec turbo and six-speed manual transmission
• Segment-leading expected 40 miles per gallon highway
• Standard 17-inch alloy wheels with ultra low-rolling resistance tires, and enhanced aerodynamic performance package

Cruze LTZ starting at $22,695, including:
• Standard 1.4L Ecotec turbo and six-speed automatic transmission
• Standard six-way power driver seat, leather seating surfaces, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob
• Standard cruise control, Bluetooth phone connectivity, USB port with audio interface, steering-wheel mounted audio controls, and remote vehicle start
• Standard automatic climate control, auto-dimming inside rearview mirror, and ultrasonic rear-parking assist
• 18-inch alloy wheels
Major available options features on Cruze include:
• In-dash navigation system with 40-gigabyte hard drive, enabling pause-and-play radio, downloading of audio CDs, or transferring MP3 files from a USB memory device
• Pioneer Audio system, with nine speakers and 250-watt amplifier
• Heated leather seats
• Ultrasonic rear park assist
• RS Appearance package, including rocker moldings, unique front and rear fascias, front fog lamps, and rear spoiler

To calculate the expected prices in the Egyptian market, add to the above-mentioned price list 36% of import taxes.

We at Autoarabia also want to believe what Jim Campbell, U.S. Vice President of Chevrolet Marketing stated below about the Cruze and hope that the new essential safety features and luxury standard attributes of this car will not fall prey to the un-smart saving policy of GM Egypt, where cuts are made at the wrong end.

“We believe the Cruze can redefine the expectations for compact-car owners and shoppers who are new to the segment,� said Jim Campbell. “For the price of a compact car, Cruze offers the styling, safety features, roominess, amenities, and refinement of a much more expensive car.�

Hopefully GM Egypt won’t let us down like they usually do!

AE