[Stonelaughter]

I'm already aware that most of the world's car manufacturers are actually owned by four mega-corps. But people keep asking me if my Cruze is a re-badged Daewoo... and yet it has Vauxhall (GM, Opel) switches and design on the stalks; I also don't know if Daewoo and GM/Vauxhall/Opel have a relationship.

What's the score here?

 

[Stonelaughter]

BTW - the Vauxhall Insignia appears to have been marketed in the USA as the Buick Regal...

 

[Tomko]

From Wikipedia:

GM Daewoo in South Korea played a leading role in the design and engineering of the Cruze, along with GM's German-based Opel division.[SUP][27][/SUP][SUP][28][/SUP][SUP][29][/SUP]

 

[obermd]

Daewoo is the GM Korean subsidiary. The gen 1 Cruze was initially road tested in South Korea.

 

[Stonelaughter]

Cool, thanks guys.

 

[Robby]

GM, a US based worldwide corporation owns:

Daewoo, Vauxhall, Opel, Baujun, Wuling, Jiefang, and likely others that I cannot remember.
I believe GM sold its interest in Vauxhall and Opel just yesterday 3/6/17.

Your car was marketed by Daewoo before US production began.....It is considered a World Car in GM parlance.

You are correct about the Insignia.

That being the case, we could also say your Cruze is marketed as a rebadged Daewoo in other countries.
Regardless of the badge, it is essentially the same car customized for the country it is marketed in......RHD/LHD, different radio equipment, safety equipment and whatnot.
The car has many different drivetrains worldwide.....we only have two gasoline versions used in our generation I versions: a normally aspirated 1.8L, and a turbocharged, iron block, aluminum head 1.4L. For two years a 2.0 turbo diesel was also available......kind of to see if the US buyers would accept it.

The genII, introduced last year, had one all aluminum turbocharged 1.4 as its only engine choice. For 2017, a new 1.6 TDI has joined in.

All US gen1 Cruze's were built in Ohio.......GenII are predominatly from Ohio with additional units coming out of Mexico.

I do not know what factory produces the Cruze sold in the UK, but am aware you folks had several more engine choices.

Anyways, I don't know what specific GM operating unit was responsible for the design.....likely a collaboration of all.

Rob

 

[obermd]

GM also owns Holden in Australia and New Zealand.

 

[Aussie]

GM also owns Holden in Australia and New Zealand.

About that, Opal and Vauxhall has been sold to Peugeot. For the next 5 years Holden will have a percentage of it's cars coming from Opal. Holden ceases production later this year, so where are our future rebadged cars coming from? Actually I don't care as if I ever replace my CTD it is unlikely to be a GM branded car.

 

[grs1961]

The Cruze started life as the Daewoo Premiere Lacetti, designed by Daewoo as an example of "Here's how we think the World Car should be done."

This could be considered the "Generation 0" Cruze.

This vehicle, the Lacetti, was then evaluated by various groups within GM, and designated the base for everyone to use, with engineering input from Opel to give it some grunt to survive outside Korea.

This vehicle, built in Korea, and shipped to EMEA and Samercica, came with a 1.8l petrol engine, from the Astra, or a 2.0l turbo-diesel engine. That was the first of the "new" Cruze models, given that GM had sold a re-badged Suzuki Ignis as the "Cruze" in several markets.

This is the real "Generation 1" Cruze, I have a manual diesel, built in 2009 and sold as the 2010 model in Australia.

Then manufacture (really, more assembly, as most parts were/are sourced from Asia) moved to other GM plants, such as Elizabeth in Australia, where design changes were made, the 1.4l turbo-charged petrol engine added, and the original 2.0l turbo-diesel replaced with a gruntier dual-cam unit.

This is the "Generation 2" Cruze, which, after more design modification, such as replacing the rear disc brakes with drums, and putting in a cheaper and less effective lighting system, stated production in the Lordstown plant in the USA. but only with petrol engines. This is the vehicle the USAians refer to as the "Generation 1" Cruze, although it is more like a "Generation 2 with several steps backwards for no sensible reason." Eventually a diesel that had been modified to conform to to US EPA requirements was added, to the line, for a short, possibly experimental, period.

Then the "Generation 3" Cruze was developed, aimed squarely at the Chinese market (i.e. built in Asia, sold in Asia), and while GM was winding up manufacture in Australia, Mexico was being tooled-up to build this for the American market, quickly switched back to Lordstown for political reasons.

And here in Oz, we will be getting the Generation 3 Cruze built in Korea and sold as an Astra. Apparently only with the 1.4l petrol turbo, and possibly only with a slushbox. Sigh.

 

[Merc6]

There will be some parts here and there marked Daewoo like the shocks.

 

[Aussie]

And here in Oz, we will be getting the Generation 3 Cruze built in Korea and sold as an Astra. Apparently only with the 1.4l petrol turbo, and possibly only with a slushbox. Sigh.

I really can't see a 1.4T car being a big seller in Australia, no matter where it comes from.

 

[EricSmit]

I really can't see a 1.4T car being a big seller in Australia, no matter where it comes from.

Knowing the Australians, LT4 powered Cruze Ute. hahahaha