The story of the Chevrolet Cruze goes from strong to stronger with the latest chapter heralding the launch of a new 5-door hatchback model, further evidence of Chevrolet’s commitment to bring value for money in every segment in which it competes.

The new Chevrolet Cruze 5-door hatchback will go on sale across Europe mid 2011, followed by other global markets. While the Cruze sedan will arrive at U.S. dealers in September, the Cruze hatchback will not be offered in the U.S. market.

A show car version of Chevrolet’s compact hatchback will be seen for the first time at the Paris Motor Show, on September 30. It will be one of four world Chevrolet premieres at the show.

With the introduction of the new Cruze hatchback, customers have an alternative body style to the traditional sedan.

According to Wayne Brannon, president and managing director of Chevrolet Europe, the potential for meeting further customer demand is significant. “Cruze is turning out to be a real success story. We are selling it in 70 countries around the world and it is our top-selling passenger car globally.”

“Hatchbacks play a critical role in many markets. For instance, the total compact segment in Europe represents around 4.8 million units which is over a quarter of the total market, with hatchbacks representing around 65% of that volume,” Brannon said. “We therefore expect to see increased business in a number of regions.”

Source: http://publish.media.gm.com/media/us/en/news/news_archive.brand_gm.html