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Business & Money • Automotive

Chevrolet Cruze

The Chevrolet Cruze is a compact car produced by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand from 2008 to 2023.

By Ethan Anderson| Reviewed by Olivia Bennett, Standards & Fact-Checking Lead| Updated July 27, 2026|2 min read| Fact-checked

The Chevrolet Cruze is a compact car produced by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand from 2008 to 2023. It was developed as a global model and sold in sedan, hatchback, and wagon body styles in different markets. The Cruze replaced several earlier compact Chevrolet and Holden models in various regions.

Development and launch

The Cruze was developed as a global compact car by General Motors, with early sales beginning in some markets before its North American debut. It was first introduced in the late 2000s and was intended to unify several regional compact-car offerings under one name.

Body styles and markets

The Cruze was offered mainly as a four-door sedan, with a five-door hatchback and, in some markets, a station wagon. Availability varied by country and model year.

Generations and updates

The Cruze spanned two major generations, with a redesigned second generation introduced in the U.S. for 2016. Later updates added refreshed sedan and hatchback versions in some markets.

Discontinuation

The Cruze was phased out in different regions at different times. Sources indicate that production in the Americas ended in 2020, while global production continued until 2023.

Key facts

  • The Cruze was introduced as a globally developed compact car.
  • It was sold primarily as a sedan, with hatchback and wagon variants in some markets.
  • The model replaced the Chevrolet Cobalt in North America and other compact models internationally.
  • A second-generation Cruze was launched in the U.S. for the 2016 model year.
  • Production ended in the Americas in 2020, while overall production continued until 2023.
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Canadian context

The Cruze was sold in Canada as part of Chevrolet’s North American compact-car lineup, making it a familiar model for Canadian buyers during its production run.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Chevrolet Cruze?
It is a compact car sold by Chevrolet, produced globally from 2008 to 2023.
What body styles were available?
The Cruze was offered as a sedan, hatchback, and in some markets a station wagon.
What cars did it replace?
It replaced models including the Chevrolet Cobalt and Chevrolet Optra in various markets, and the Holden Astra in Australasia.
When did production end?
Sources say production ended in the Americas in 2020 and ended globally in 2023.
Was the Cruze a global model?
Yes. It was developed and marketed as a global compact car by General Motors.

References

  1. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Cruze
    Supports: Production years, body styles, global model description, and replacement models.
  2. GM Authority — https://gmauthority.com/blog/gm/chevrolet/cruze/
    Supports: Global compact sedan description and development by GM Korea.
  3. Autoevolution — https://www.autoevolution.com/chevrolet/cruze-1/
    Supports: Generation count and model-year timeline, including the second generation.
  4. Cars.com — https://www.cars.com/research/chevrolet-cruze/
    Supports: U.S. debut as a replacement for the Cobalt and global-market launch order.
  5. Edmunds — https://www.edmunds.com/chevrolet/cruze/2016/review/
    Supports: Second-generation 2016 U.S. model details and trims.
  6. Chevrolet India — https://www.chevrolet.co.in/cars/cruze
    Supports: Body style and specification details for a market-specific Cruze variant.