since the car first hit the country’s dealerships. As such, sales of the Chevy Cruze have reached 600,000 worldwide, equating to one of the most successful cars to be launched in several years.
The Chevy Cruz is GM’s very best example of their strategy geared toward building high quality small cars, which is a market the corporation previously left to the Japanese. Although SUVs and trucks still account for much of Gm’s overall profit, predictions regarding continuing fuel-cost increases also see further numbers of consumers being driven toward small, economical vehicles. GM have already announced their intention to further their arsenal, with the subcompact Chevrolet Sonic and compact Buick to be launched later this year.
Such a strategy is already showing hugely positive signs of payoff, with GM reporting their best overall profit in more than ten years this Thursday. With fuel process creeping ever closer toward the $4 per gallon mark during the first quarter of 2011, the Chevy Cruze and other crossover vehicles such as the Equinox helped the company earn around $3.2 billion. By comparison, GM lost upwards of $4.4 billion during the summer of 2008, when US gas prices surpassed the $4 mark and the company’s selection of fuel-economic vehicles was rather thin on the ground.