USA - 3.5 million sold, now Chevrolet are set to launch the second generation Cruze worldwide.

Chevrolet’s best-selling global car surpasses 3.5 million sales

Chevrolet Cruze, the brand’s best-selling car around the world, has surpassed 3.5 million global sales, a milestone that comes as Chevrolet prepares to introduce the next-generation Cruze on June 24.

“When we introduced the Cruze it replaced 15 other compact vehicles around the globe,” said Alan Batey, president, General Motors North America and global Chevrolet brand chief. “By consolidating design, engineering and marketing efforts, we were able to produce an award-winning, value-driven sedan that won over customers around the world.”

Cruze is sold in 115 countries. The top global markets include China, the United States, Brazil and Canada.

In the United States, Cruze total sales were 273,060 in 2014 – a 10 percent increase over 2013. It is also the segment’s second-best seller to customers under 25 in the U.S.

Importantly, Cruze brings new buyers to Chevrolet – 35 percent of all buyers are new to the brand. Additionally, of those who trade in a Cruze, 56 percent stay with Chevrolet and 23 percent trade in for another Cruze.

“In every corner of the globe, Cruze has been successful at introducing new and younger customers to Chevrolet,” said Batey. “Compact car customers are looking for style, safety and connectivity at an affordable price and the Cruze delivers on all fronts.”

The 2016 Cruze will build on the current model’s success, aiming to elevate the segment with more of the features increasingly important for today’s compact car buyers. 

It will be larger yet lighter than the current model, with new technologies, new powertrains and additional available safety features that will bring a higher level of sophistication to the compact car segment.

The 2016 Cruze joins the all-new Chevrolet Volt, Spark, Malibu and Camaro, all unveiled earlier this year. These five new vehicles will bring 25 new technologies to the brand, most to improve safety, fuel economy, performance and connectivity for the customer. 

The 2016 Cruze will be one of the first Chevrolets to offer Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

When the next-generation Cruze hits showrooms in early 2016, more than 95 percent of Chevrolet’s U.S. product lineup will be less than three years old.

First, third generation Fabia drives off the production line.

• ŠKODA’s main plant Mladá Boleslav celebrates start of production for the new Fabia
• Production facility in Mladá Boleslav has been strongly upgraded
• Top-of-the-range technology with regards to safety, connectivity, environment and comfort
• Practical and full of emotion: fresh looks, lots of space, new ‘Simply Clever’ features

Reason to celebrate: Under the header ‘Welcome New Fabia’, the first third-generation ŠKODA Fabia rolled off the production line at ŠKODA’s parent plant in Mladá Boleslav. The production staff gave the first car – a Fabia in ‘Race Blue’ – a standing ovation as it passed the final inspection. The completely newly designed ŠKODA Fabia wows with its emotionally-rich design language, innovative safety, comfort and infotainment systems from higher car segments, as well as with its low consumption values. Market launch will be in November.

“The start of production for the new ŠKODA Fabia is another milestone in our model and production campaign,” says ŠKODA Board Member for Production Michael Oeljeklaus. “It’s always a big moment when the first vehicle of a newly developed model rolls of the line. This particularly applies to the new Fabia, as this great car is an important pillar in ŠKODA’s growth strategy. Our teams from Development and Production have put in meticulous and intensive preparation and commitment to get the small car up and running – a car that will set new benchmarks in its segment,” says Oeljeklaus. Ahead of the production start for the ŠKODA Fabia, extensive adjustment and refurbishment work has been completed at the Mladá Boleslav factory; all carried out during the factory holiday which ended mid-August. 40 companies specialised in production technology along with hundreds of experts have been involved in the process.

The new ŠKODA Fabia is ‘simply more car’ in every respect. The third-generation Fabia demonstrates as the first production car how ŠKODA’s design has developed into a more expressive and emotionally-rich design language. Smooth proportions, crystalline shapes and clear-cut lines make the new edition stand out. In addition, the new ŠKODA Fabia provides much more scope for customisation than ever before, inside and out.

What’s more: small car, big on technology. The new ŠKODA Fabia has been given innovative safety, comfort and infotainment systems from higher vehicle segments. For the first time, a ŠKODA can easily be paired with a smartphone via MirrorLink™ technology. The completely new range of engines also sets new benchmarks, making the third-generation model the most ecological and economical ŠKODA Fabia of all time. Compared to the previous model, the new Fabia uses up to 17 per cent less fuel.

In typical ŠKODA style, the new Fabia also impresses with its generous space and numerous ‘Simply Clever’ features, up to nine of which are new.

With a completely newly developed, third generation model, the manufacturer wants to continue the ŠKODA Fabia’s impressive success story. Having sold approx. 3.4 million vehicles to date worldwide, the Škoda Fabia is the Czech brand’s bestselling car after the Škoda Octavia. Between 1999 and 2006, a total of 1.8 million first-generation Fabias were sold. From 2006 to date, ŠKODA delivered around 1.7 million second-generation Fabias to customers.