Despite earlier promises to speed up its production schedule, General Motors says it is pushing back the launch of one of its most important new vehicles by about three months. The Chevrolet Cruze, which will replace the Cobalt as the automaker’s compact sedan offering, will now hit dealers in the third quarter of 2010.
GM says that it is forcing the delays in order to ensure that the launch is entirely problem-free. Although GM’s recall record is down significantly, the automaker had to call back certain models of its high-profile Camaro over a battery tie-down issue.
“If it is delayed a little bit, that’s better than bringing something out and not having it go properly,” industry anaylst Erich Merkle told the Detroit News. “Is the Cruze GM’s silver bullet? Definitely not, but it will probably enhance and boost sales over and above the Cobalt.”
The Cruze has already been launched in most key global markets without any significant issues, so the root of the North American production delay is entirely unknown.
