2011 Chevrolet Cruze: A Safety Story [w/video]
 

<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/sedans/" rel="tag">Sedan</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/safety/" rel="tag">Safety</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/tech/" rel="tag">Technology</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/chevrolet/" rel="tag">Chevrolet</a></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-chevrolet-cruze-crash-testing/"><img hspace="0" border="1" vspace="4" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/04/lead1cruzesafetystory.jpg " alt="" /></a>
<div style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><sma ll>2011 Chevrolet Cruze Crash Testing - Click above for high-res image gallery</small></strong></em></div>
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Over the course of Bob Lutz' tenure at <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/make/gm/">General Motors</a>, one of his major goals was globalizing the production process. As Lutz tells it, the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/make/pontiac/">Pontiac</a> GTO was the first global vehicle born of his labors, with development work being done in both Australia and North America. But the GTO, and its follow-up, the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/model/g8">Pontiac G8</a>/<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/holden/">Holden</a> Commodore, were niche products sold in limited numbers in limited markets. The real test of global product development comes when it's applied to high-volume mainstream products. <br />
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That's were the Epsilon II and Delta II architectures come into play. Epsilon is GM's mid-large platform (D/E segment) while Delta is the compact (C segment) platform. We've already seen the Epsilon II here in America, underpinning the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/model/lacrosse">Buick LaCrosse</a>, but the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/model/cruze">Chevrolet Cruze</a> proved to be a tougher nut to crack. One of the most difficult challenges in the global production strategy is the differing safety standards around the world, along with the guidelines imposed by non-governmental bodies like the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Creating a platform that can live up to all of these standards without being absurdly heavy is a problem. Find out how GM tackled the problem and found a solution <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/04/30/2011-chevrolet-cruze-a-safety-story-w-video/#continued">after the jump</a>.<br />
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<div class="postgallery"><p><s trong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-chevrolet-cruze-crash-testing/low/">2011 Chevrolet Cruze Crash Testing</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-chevrolet-cruze-crash-testing/low/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/04/01cruzesafetystory_thumbn ail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-chevrolet-cruze-crash-testing/low/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/04/02cruzesafetystory_thumbn ail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-chevrolet-cruze-crash-testing/low/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/04/03cruzesafetystory_thumbn ail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-chevrolet-cruze-crash-testing/low/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/04/04cruzesafetystory_thumbn ail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-chevrolet-cruze-crash-testing/low/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/04/05cruzesafetystory_thumbn ail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/04/30/2011-chevrolet-cruze-a-safety-story-w-video/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>2011 Chevrolet Cruze: A Safety Story [w/video]</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;backgr ound:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/04/30/2011-chevrolet-cruze-a-safety-story-w-video/">2011 Chevrolet Cruze: A Safety Story [w/video]</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblo g</a> on Fri, 30 Apr 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/04/30/2011-chevrolet-cruze-a-safety-story-w-video/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19459684/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/04/30/2011-chevrolet-cruze-a-safety-story-w-video/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>

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