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The petrol-electric plan is being considered in the USA as part of the strategy to bring greener Holdens, including a Holden-badged version of the range-extended GM Volt, into the family over the next five years.
Holden will begin production of a Cruze hatchback in South Australia next year and there is also potential for a wagon, but the hybrid talk emerged last week during the visit by a high-profile Australian delegation — led by Industry Minister Kim Carr — to GM headquarters in Detroit. There is no confirmation yet of any local hybrid but Holden is doing so well with the Cruze that it is currently working to clear a two- month delivery delay.
Sales have more than doubled Holden's original forecast leading to considerable delays for some customers. "We currently have a shortage of cars," admits GM Holden's new executive director of sales and marketing, John Elsworth. "Some dealers are sold out until December, and we have about 5000 customer orders we need to fulfil.
I thought we were on a winner when we first released Cruze but we've been blown away by the demand - the job we're focused on now is getting supply and demand lined up. "Customers are ordering about 2500 units per month, which is up on our original forecast - hence the current shortage."
The Cruze success shows the potential of Holden's commitment to global designs, even if the cars are eventually built in Korea to keep costs down. It struggled with the original Daewoo-made Barina but has done much better with the Captiva SUV and now the Cruze. "Research results from our first 200 buyers suggest the design, both exterior and interior, overall size, five-star safety and value make Cruze a very compelling package," says Elsworth. "The issue of where a car is built is not an issue in showrooms.
Consumers understand that companies like General Motors and Holden design cars to be sold anywhere in the world and also have fantastic manufacturing quality processes to ensure consistently great quality regardless of where the manufacturing plant is located." He also promises an even stronger Cruze push once it goes local. "We intend making Cruze an even more compelling package when we begin local production."
Meanwhile, the Cruze line-up has just been extended with a CDX version of the diesel model, priced from $27,990. It will be available with both manual and automatic gearboxes and joins the existing CD diesel and petrol-powered CD and CDX.
GM Holden says the introduction of the new model is a response to customer demand for the diesel, but with more equipment. "We've been listening to what our customers have been asking for and this is our response," John Elsworth says. The CDX package is the same as the petrol model but with the addition of a tyre-inflator kit, with a spare wheel as a no-cost option. Standard equipment includes 17-inch alloys, ESP stability control and anti-lock brakes, six airbags, cruise control, rear parking sensors, cruise control, aircon and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with leather seat inserts.
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