It's no longer just a picture on a sign with a catchy name. The dark red Cruze unveiled at Lordstown GM's roll-out celebration Wednesday has the look and feel of the imports that have been so popular for years.
"The outside of the car, the design is very, very, very appealing," said Chevrolet Dealer Tom Brittain.
The sound system is said to be top quality. Blue tooth is available in some models, and there are safety features galore, starting with ten airbags.
"Standard OnStar, standard anti-lock brakes, standard traction control, standard stability control," said Chevy Zone manager Rob Patterson.
One of the big selling points of the Cruze is the interior, not just the features, but also the room. It is a compact car, but they said that the amount of room inside is more similar to a midsized vehicle.
"The door panels, the dashboard," said Brittain. "It's so visible, it's so friendly. The seats, very, very comfortable. Very comfortable."
The trunk space can easily fit two, maybe even three sets of golf clubs. And then there's the engine. A Cruze on display Wednesday had the Echo-tech engine, which has some get up and go.
"When you get behind it and step on the gas, it will go," said Patterson. "We got the 1.4 turbo, we've got the 1.8 Echo-tech, and this thing is so much fun to drive."
Now that the Cruze has been launched, the focus has turned toward dealers like Patterson and Brittain around the country to see how well they can sell it.
Representatives from Chevrolet dealerships across the Mahoning and Shenango valleys, known to some as the Chevy All-Stars, held prominent places during Wednesday morning's event in Lordstown.
The dealers were facing the audience, just as they will face potential customers looking to buy the new models. Some said this was one of the most exciting days they've seen in years.
"The car is special. It's going to be a world car," said Brittain. "It's going to be the highest quality car built probably in this whole United States, as things are going here, and we're so happy to have it."
The cars should begin arriving on dealer lots this week.
