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28/03/2011
By EWAN KENNEDY
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When we attended the national press launch of the Holden Cruze Series II sedan last week, Holden gave us a very quick glimpse of the five-door hatch version that will be introduced late this year.
Like the sedan, the new Cruze hatchback will be built in Australia so is a vitally important vehicle for Holden. Both Cruze body types, as well as the Holden Commodore variants will be built on the same assembly lines, thus offering plenty of flexibility in production.
Even better news is that Holden is employing extra people to work on the lines. Which is a far cry from the dark days early in the GFC when many employees took an effective pay cut of 25 per cent, by working fewer shifts.
The styling of the rear end of the Holden Cruze hatch is sharp, with a real European look that seems sure to appeal to buyers in this class. Note the use of twin rear spoilers, one at the rear of the roof, the other built into the mid section of the hatch in a rather Alfa Romeo manner.
Hopefully, we are wrong, but the slope of the roofline over the rear seat area looks quite extreme and may impinge on headroom.
Holden won’t give us details of the Cruze hatch at this time, but we do know the new sedans we reviewed last week were offered in striking colour choices and it seems certain the new hatch will follow, probably even exceed, the same theme. Cruze looks set to be a big winner in Australia, and not just because it’s built in this country, a stylishly shaped hatch with a range of youthful colours will do it no harm at all. |
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