GM Retaining Current Malibu, Cruze As Fleet Specials, Diesel Dead For 2016

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

Although all-new versions of the Chevrolet Cruze and Malibu are set to debut by the end of the year, GM will retain the current versions as fleet-only vehicles, dubbed the “Cruze Limited” and “Malibu Limited”.

While the Malibu Limited will be available in LS, LT and LTZ trims, the lone powertrain will be the 2.5L I4. The Cruze will drop the diesel variant, but retain the “Eco” version, as well as the manual transmission option.


Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

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  • Brettc Brettc on Mar 19, 2015

    Is there any data out there from GM as to how many diesel Cruzes they have sold since the introduction in the summer of 2013? All I can find is sad numbers from Green car congress from 2014. Ironically, I was at Epcot last week and went on the GM commercial that is called "Test Track". At the end of the ride there is a brown Cruze TD sitting there amongst the other fine GM automobiles. I don't think selling them in the $27000 range has helped at all. VW finally decided to offer a base TDI last year starting in the low 20s, which is what Chevy should also offer as an option.

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    • Brettc Brettc on Mar 20, 2015

      @Carrera My favourite part was that they disabled the hood and trunk/hatch releases on all the cars. I guess I have to visit my friendly local Chevy dealer to get a better look at the important things. The wife and I test drove a 2013 1.4 turbo and 2.0 TD Cruze in the summer of 2013 when the diesels first appeared. The gas engine was weak, not enough torque. The diesel was nice but the price was insane for what they were offering. So we ended up buying a Jetta SE when the 1.8 TSI became available a year later. We were in no rush and GM's offering wasn't very impressive.

  • Aphidman Aphidman on Mar 20, 2015

    I have owned a Cruze Diesel for four months now and enjoy it a lot (it’s my mid-life crisis car). GM put a significant amount of money and effort into getting its engine into compliance with US and EU regulations and it is surprising that they would turn around and dump it. I am also wondering, as others have, if this story only refers to the fleet model. Marketing support for the diesel model has been practically non-existent. I’m not sure why. The fuel price difference between diesel and regular gasoline has been mentioned by others. In Calgary this week, diesel is only 3¢/litre more expensive than regular gas, and considerably cheaper than premium. (3 months ago, the difference was 30¢, but oilpatch demand for diesel has collapsed.)

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    • Aphidman Aphidman on Mar 20, 2015

      @Quentin I decided to do my mid-life crisis differently from other guys (the car is blue-ray metallic, not red, and my trophy wife is my first/current wife). A sports car is the obvious thing to get at this time in my life, but when I was honest with myself, I realised that I do a lot of long highway trips that I enjoy. And I wanted something a bit unusual. The Cruze Diesel fit that description. It had been a demonstrator, so the price was discounted. The seats are comfortable. The toys are nice. The torque is enjoyable. The pick-up is way better than my old Santa Fe. And the highway range is amazing. I have gone 970 km on one tank, on a trip with 4 people and their luggage, in bitter cold. Oh, and the engine started first time after being outside overnight in -36C temperatures, which impressed the heck out of me. It is the first car that I ever got to choose by myself, for myself. When I was a student, my father found a car for me, and after school I started a family right away, so it was station wagons and minivans and old used Santa Fes. So that makes it special for me too.

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