Holden Cruze 2013 News

The sharpest knife is wielded by Proton, whose Preve sedan is now the cheapest small car in the country. Proton marketing general manager Billy Falconer says the cut -- which amounts to a 15 per cent shave off the original price -- is a reaction to the aggressive discounting of rivals.The flip is the annual/15,000km servicing cost is now capped for the first five years or 75,000km, rather than the free servicing as previously. "In order to compete with all these offers, we have reduced the price for the Preve range, with the manual starting at just $15,990 driveaway and the CVT auto Preve from $17,990 driveaway for a limited time only," Falconer says.The Preve is the first Proton to earn a five-star ANCAP safety rating and comes with a five-year warranty. The Malaysian brand is relying on the improved safety and features -- all Preve models have 16-inch alloy wheels, Bluetooth and iPod connectivity, and controls for the sound system and phone mounted on the steering wheel -- to help boost sales.The company sold just 856 vehicles last year and is behind that number year-to-date with 353 sales to July. A new hatch and people-mover -- both built according to Proton's improved safety standards -- are imminent.Ford's Focus Ambiente is -- for now -- just $18,990 on the road, including free servicing for the first three annual/15,000km check-ups. Mazda's $19,990 deal on the Neo includes a four-year warranty and three years' roadside assistance. A Mitsubishi Lancer ES with a front and rear spoilers, side skirts and alloy wheels is available for $19,990 driveaway until the end the month.PRICE WARModel                                November 2012     NowCitroen C4                          $22,990                 $20,990Ford Focus                         $20,290                 $18,990*Holden Cruze                      $21,490                 $19,490Mazda3                              $20,330                 $19,990*Proton Preve                       $18,990*                $15,990*Mitsubishi Lancer                $19,990                 $19,990**denotes driveaway pricing

As Holden warns that car-making costs are unsustainable and the industry demands a new plan to save 16,000 positions, he vowed to make jobs and living standards the top priority of his resurrected prime ministership.Mr Rudd said he wanted to give manufacturers a “fighting chance'' and also flagged plans to help create jobs in agriculture, food processing and the services sector.Holden has called for wage cuts and more assistance following Ford's shutdown announcement. “The first priority for me is the economy, jobs and living standards,'' he said. “I am acutely aware of the impact of the global economy on the traditional manufacturing centres of Victoria and South Australia,'' Mr Rudd said.“I've never believed manufacturing to be an old industry.'' Long-time Rudd supporter Nick Champion, the Member for Wakefield, said he was confident the government would support Holden and SA manufacturing.“I think if you look at the Rudd Government's track record, if you look at Holden, they got the Cruze platform up in the middle of the financial crisis and in the middle of General Motors' broader problems,'' said Mr Champion.The Coalition's industry spokeswoman, Sophie Mirabella, has flagged cuts in support for car makers, saying it is time to end the “embarrassing cap-in-hand approach to government'' for subsidies. About $500 million would be cut by 2015 - but the Coalition adds Ford won't be needing a handout.Last night, she pointed out that Labor's Industry Minister, Greg Combet, stood down when Mr Rudd took over. “Rudd is a snake oil salesman riding the caravan of confusion,'' she said.“He doesn't even have an Industry Minister and his clueless party broke $1.4 billion worth of promises to the car companies and Ford collapsed under their watch. “They've failed car workers for six years - nothing will change now.''Mr Rudd said the end of the Chinese resources boom and the decline in the value of the Australian dollar created the chance for manufacturers to expand to new markets and find technological breakthroughs.But he said the economy was at a “delicate stage'' and warned Coalition leader Tony Abbott would “throw the economy into recession through an austerity drive''. 

Darebin Mayor Tim Laurence's council car is a Holden Cruze, but he said only about 50 per cent of the city's 10,0120 small vehicles were made locally. In a bid to support Melbourne's car manufacturing industry, the council last week voted to buy only Aussie-made new fleet and salary-sacrifice cars.When buying specialist operational vehicles, they agreed to also preference Australian manufacturers. Cr Laurence said there are still Darebin residents working for car manufacturers Ford, Holden and Toyota in Melbourne, and for associated auto parts suppliers across the northern suburbs.“In Darebin, Whittlesea, Moreland and Hume, the auto and food industries are probably the two sectors that underpin the economy,” he said.Thomastown and Reservoir-based parts manufacturer Diver Consolidated Industries supplies aluminium parts for Holden's VF Commodore and employs about 100 staff. Company chief executive Jim Griffin welcomed the new policy and hoped other councils would follow Darebin's lead.Mr Griffin, also president of the Federation of Automotive Products Manufacturers, said only about a third of the estimated 60,000 vehicles owned by the federal, state and territory governments were made in Australia.“The effect of the (high) Australian dollar has been felt greatly across the industry (and as a result) vehicle production volumes have dropped,” Mr Griffin said.

So much for the push towards greener cars. In automotive terms Australia is about to become the 51st state of the USA.Australians are moving closer to North Americans in their taste in vehicles. For the first time ever there is now almost an exact 50:50 split between the sales of passenger cars – and utes and SUVs. The same ratio seen for decades in pick-up and SUV-loving USA. Twenty years ago passenger cars accounted for more than 70 per cent of all new vehicles sold in Australia.Official figures released today confirm January 2013 was the strongest start to a year in Australian automotive history, eclipsing 85,000 deliveries for the first time – and the previous January record set in 2008 before the Global Financial Crisis.The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries reports 41,957 passenger cars were delivered in January compared to 41,595 utes, vans and SUVs – a slim gap of 362 sales, or the equivalent of just three days of deliveries for the top-selling car, the Mazda3.“The trend towards SUVs and away from classic passenger cars is all to do with their style and versatility and mass-acceptability,” says David Chalke, a cultural change analyst with AustraliaScan. “Everybody’s doing it, there’s now a fear of being left out.”Chalke says SUVs are no longer the heathens of the road thanks to their new levels of fuel-efficiency. “The new ones use comparatively so little fuel most people don’t think they’re driving a 4WD,” he said. “In fact in many cases they’re not. They are often two-wheel-drive with the appearance of a 4WD.”FCAI chief executive Tony Weber says the mining boom is also driving ute and SUV sales. “Part of is the mining boom, part of it is private buyers seeking new levels of flexibility and cars that better suit their needs.”Australia’s three local car makers – Toyota, Holden and Ford – failed to cash-in. January is typically a slow month for sales of locally-made cars but they dropped by 28 per cent to an all-new low.Just 2722 Australian made cars were delivered in January – which means the combined sales of the Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon, Ford Territory, Toyota Camry and Toyota Aurion ranked third -- an unprecedented status. Mazda3 was the top-selling car (3345 sales), followed by the Toyota Corolla (2960), the Toyota Hilux (2747), and the Nissan Navara (2474).The Ford Focus (2364) had its best month ever -- and helped drive Ford to a 33 per cent sales increase – but it outsold the Falcon by three-to-one. The Falcon (778 deliveries) is now selling at the same rate as the Mitsubishi 380 in the year before the factory closed. Ford’s Broadmeadows throughput is topped up by the production of Territory (up 44 per cent) and ute (down 22 per cent), but sales of both models are well down from their peaks.Holden says it has scaled back production of the Commodore (1650 deliveries) ahead of a new model due in showrooms in June. Toyota sold just 557 Camrys and 227 Aurion V6 sedans (down 57 and 77 per cent respectively). The FCAI’s Weber dismissed the weak sales of locally mades cars as “just one bad month, let’ see where it goes”. “We’re going to continue to see more and more market segmentation,” Weber said. “We won’t see just one car reach the massive volumes of years past.”In other highlights:Toyota was down 5 per cent but is set to lead the market for the 11th year in a row;Mazda outsold Holden to be second in the market for the fourth time ever (previous monthly second-placings: April, September and Dec 2012);Nissan is closing-in on Ford, less than 500 sales behind, threatening to push the Blue Oval brand to sixth;Honda had a blinder month, up 141 per cent from a low base – but still well down on its best year;Audi outsold BMW for the fourth January (previous wins were in ’09, ’11, ’12) and the sixth time ever (after previous wins in Feb ’11, Oct ’11) but Mercedes was top luxury brand;Sales of passenger cars fell by 1 per cent in a market that grew 11 per cent driven by surges in utes (up 43 per cent) and SUVs (up 20 per cent);The delivery of 1878 heavy trucks (up 10 per cent) takes January tally to 85,430.Top selling cars in January 2013Mazda3 3345Toyota Corolla 2960Toyota HiLux 2747Nissan Navara 2474Ford Focus 2364Hyundai i30 2006Holden Captiva 2155Mazda2 1665Holden Commodore 1650Holden Cruze 1630Mazda CX5 1625Top selling brands in January 2013Toyota 13,375 down 4.9pcMazda 8912 up 5.1pcHolden 8811 down 2.8pcFord 7721 up 32.3pcNissan 7248 up 35 pcHyundai 6816 up 4.7pcMitsubishi 4449 down 2.6pcVolkswagen 3824 up 13.6pcHonda 3816 up 141pcSubaru 3104 down 3.2pcThis reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

The much anticipated sibling to the locally-made Cruze hatch and sedan will join the popular line-up early next year delivering a highly specified, flexible and safe, stylish vehicle.Cruze Sportwagon will be available in two models, a CD with the choice of two fuel efficient engines, a 1.8 litre petrol engine or a 2.0 litre turbo diesel, or a premium CDX with a 1.8 litre petrol engine.The entire range boasts generous load space, Bluetooth connectivity with voice recognition, cruise control and iPod integration with steering wheel controls as standard. The versatile Cruze Sportwagon boasts the same safety features and robust body structure that earned the Cruze sedan and hatch a five star safety rating from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).Safety features include six airbags, rear park assist and electronic stability control including anti-lock braking system and traction control. Prices and full specifications and features will be announced closer to the start of sales. 

The wagon will join Holden's Cruze line-up within a year, and will be imported as the third Cruze variant.It aims to combine the practicality of a wagon with high-tech features and sporty style -- and to capitalise on the success of the Cruze sedan and hatch, which have quickly become Holden heroes The Chevrolet version makes its global premiere at the Geneva Motor Show this March.The latest Cruze bodystyle complements sedan and hatch which have sold in excess of one million vehicles globally since the carline was launched in 2009.The new wagon will feature generous storage space and a high level of standard features and safety.Cruze wagon, at 4,675mm, is slightly longer than the hatch (4,510mm) and sedan (4,597mm) models. Load space ranges from 500 litres up to the window line in the rear to nearly 1,500 litres up to the roof top with the rear seats folded down.The exterior design features a tapering single arch roofline and comes with roof racks as standard, providing convenience while maintaining a poised and sporty look. More details will be released closer to the launch date.

The new wagon model to be released next year will not be built here but in South Korea even though the company admits it has the capacity to build them at its Elizabeth plant in Adelaide.The Cruze hatchback and sedan last month outsold the Commodore for the first time to become the most popular Australian-made car. But when the third variant, a wagon, goes on sale early next year, it will be sourced from South Korea.Holden spokeswoman Kate Lonsdale said the company had the capability to build the wagon at the Elizabeth plant in Adelaide, but have no plans to do so."Could we build it here? Absolutely, we have the capability to do so, and it is certainly something we can look at in the future, but by importing the vehicle we get a great opportunity to test the market's reaction to a wagon of this size," she said."We're still working out what the volumes would be and to tool up for a new variant where the volumes might be niche, we need to work out if it's a good business move," she said.The Chevrolet version of the Cruze wagon, conceived by Cruze hatch designer Leigh Mitchell, will make its global debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month.The Cruze has sold more than one million units globally since it was launched in 2009 and Holden executive sales and marketing director John Elsworth is looking forward to the wagon."Cruze wagon ticks all the boxes," he said – just not the one marked “Australian-made". We're confident Cruze wagon will take the nameplate from strength to strength and reach new customers who are looking for more versatility," Mr Elsworth said.The new wagon is about 80mm longer than the sedan and boasts a 500-litre cargo space.Holden won't release any details on what engines will be offered with the hatch until closer to its launch but expect the current engine line-up of two petrol and one turbodiesel to be replicated in the wagon range.Also yet to be confirmed is the MyLink infotainment system that is being introduced on top-spec Cruze models this year, which integrates the owner's smartphone into the car, offering a link to playlists, photos, phone books, data, videos and even some satnav phone apps.

Holden boss Mike Devereux this week confirmed the small car - to be built in Adelaide from March - will get an optional 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine.  The powerplant is from the Opel "Family Zero" series. One derivative is used in the Chevrolet Volt hybrid. "It's a great engine in terms of economy and performance and it's the first new powertrain we'll be introducing for Cruze," Devereux says.  "We have previously confirmed that both petrol and diesel models will be built at Elizabeth - sedans start in the first quarter and that awesome-looking hatchback in the second half." Mr Devereux says Cruze production was secured for Australia by a $179 million grant from the Federal and South Australian Governments which was in addition to "hundreds of millions more from Holden" to make Australia's only locally-built small car. He says the current Cruze, launched in June last year, "has performed phenomenally well so far.  "It's our second-best seller, it cracked the top-five and outsold established nameplates like Falcon several months this year," Devereux says. "We've sold 26,253 units to November, which is up nearly 20 per cent on last year, and we're forecasting nearly 28,900 (28,848) for the full year." He says making the Cruze in Australia allowed Holden to give people an option to buy a locally-made small car that had been engineered for Australian conditions.  It ensures a more stable workload for our employees and has created new business opportunities for our local suppliers," he says. Holden says the future is rosy. It will add 165 employees to its Elizabeth plant and launch 10 new models - new and refreshed - in the next 18 months. "This year we see a total car market in Australia of 1.034 million," he says.  "Total sales for Holden this year will be around 133,800 - up 12 per cent on last year - which is a pretty solid performance. "We'll finish 2010 with about 12.9 per cent share - on par with last year. The market is good, but it's tough. We're not in the business of chasing market share. "Next year we think the market will grow around 10 per cent - so we're looking at about 1.045 million.  We think that growth will come from new models - including Holden launches like the local Cruze, Captiva and Barina - and good economic conditions."