[obermd]

BowtieGuy is correct. The ECU in the Automatic Transmission Cruze knows to downshift before the engine speed drops to 1300 RPM. The reason for this is to keep the car in Decelleration Fuel Cut Off, which uses the wheel spin to keep the engine turning without any gas.

 

[obermd]

We could only wish that DFCO was explained in the owners manual. It's not. You came to the right place to get the answer - even your dealership probably won't know why the Cruze does this, which is unfortunate.