Chevy Cruze Off to a Hot Start Down Under

The Cruze compact car became the eighth best-selling car in the country during its first full month for sale in July, according to GM. It also received several positive notices from Australian reviewers.

This is good news for GM not only because it plans to sell the Cruze on a global level, but because success in Australia could foreshadow success in the U.S. when the Cruze replaces the Cobalt in mid-2010.

The two countries have widely different populations but very similar markets. Tim Armstrong, an analyst with IHS Global Insight, told the Detroit Free Press that both markets are the mature, wealthy products of industrialized countries. Both have relatively low fuel costs, wide open spaces and consumers who have preferred bigger cars and SUVs but are now increasingly looking for fuel-efficient vehicles.

The Cruze will attempt to hit a sweet spot in value, efficiency and overall content when it goes up against the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic and Mazda3.

Cruze Compact a Hit (Detroit Free Press)