The all-new Chevrolet Cruze sedan raises the bar for design appeal, build quality and running refinement in the Middle East's compact value segment

Drivers Rob Huff, Alain Menu and Nicola Larini secured top honours for the gold bowtie on May 3 in Morocco after taking the new car to the track for the first time in the opening round in Curitiba, Brazil on March 8.

The WTCC features cars close to regular production specification and the championship's tag-line, 'real cars, real racing', encapsulates both the spirit of the WTCC and Chevrolet's approach to competition. It is one of only three official FIA-sanctioned world championships, alongside Formula One and the World Rally Championship.

2009 is Chevrolet's fifth year in the WTCC and the Cruze is its first contender having been designed from the outset with a competition application in mind. With its striking 'four-door coupé' styling, sporty character and smart new livery, the Cruze race car cuts a distinctive presence in this year's WTCC.

It benefits from some of the road car's fundamental design advantages, including a wider track, close-to-the-ground stance and a stiffer body structure that promise better handling, improved aerodynamic performance and a greater sensitivity to set-up changes. Great care has also been taken to reduce weight for the race circuit.

The all-new Chevrolet Cruze sedan, due in Middle East showrooms later this year, raises the bar for design appeal, build quality and running refinement in the Middle East's compact value segment. Backed by an anticipated high level EuroNCAP crash safety rating and an all-new powertrain line-up, the Cruze also heralds the introduction of a new global design language for the Chevrolet brand.

The Cruze has been cooperatively engineered at GM facilities in Germany, the United States, Australia and Korea. In key areas, such as the body structure, suspension, safety and electrical systems, engineers have drawn on GM 'best practices' around the world.

"We have been working hard to make the new car as competitive as possible from day one and we are confident that Cruze's many assets will bring Chevrolet even more success,"

says Eric Nève, Chevrolet Europe Motorsport Manager.