Manufactured by Suzuki in Japan,[23] GM revealed the production Chevrolet Cruze in October 2001, with Japanese sales commencing the following month.

[24][25] Chevrolet pursued a marketing strategy that positioned the high-riding Cruze as a light-duty sport utility vehicle (SUV).

[30] Mainly developed by GM Korea, this J300 iteration serves as a replacement for the Chevrolet Cobalt, Daewoo Lacetti and Holden Astra compact cars.

GM phased out production of the Cobalt and its badge engineered counterpart, the Pontiac G5 in 2010, just prior to the manufacturing of the Chevrolet Cruze was to commence.

[32] At the ceremony of the start of production of Cruze at Ohio, Mark Reuss, the president of GM's North American operations said, "This is everything for us".

[45] Cruze production sites include Gunsan, Jeonbuk, South Korea;[46] Saint Petersburg, Russia;[47] Shenyang, China;[48] and Halol, India;[49] Hanoi, Vietnam since April 2010 in complete knock-down (CKD) form,[50][51] Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan from May 2010;[52] Rayong, Thailand after December 2010,[53] and São Caetano do Sul, Brazil from 2011.

[46] GM in the United States has upgraded the existing plant in Lordstown, Ohio to manufacture the Cruze, investing more than US$350 million.

[55] The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) in May 2009 awarded the Cruze five out of five stars in their crash safety test, with 35.04 out of a possible 37 points.

[64] On June 22, 2012, GM issued a recall for 413,418 Cruzes manufactured at the Lordstown, Ohio plant, to address a risk of engine compartment fires.

The recall covered 2011 and 2012 models built from September 2010 through May 2012 and affected vehicles sold in the United States, Canada, and Israel.

There was a new front fascia with redesigned air vents around the fog lamps, and the grille and headlamps also received minor updates.

Engines fitted to the Cruze are the 1.6-liter Family 1 inline-four, a 1.8-liter version of the same, and a 2.0-liter VM Motori RA 420 SOHC turbocharged common rail diesel, marketed as VCDi.

[86] The Chevrolet Cruze was launched in the Chinese market on April 18, 2009, as a sedan[87] manufactured at GM India's Halol factory.

[92][93] By 2011, Chevrolet introduced the "2.0LT VCDi" variant powered by a 2.0L CRDi diesel engine paired to a standard 6-speed automatic transmission with manual mode.

On March 18, 2010, Holden issued a recall for 9,098 petrol-engined 2010 model year Cruzes in Australia and a further 485 in New Zealand over a faulty fuel hose.

[104] Further differentiation from the original has been achieved via the fitment of amber front indicator lights, jewelled bezel headlamps, remodelled wheel trims, and through adjustments to the lower portion of the rear bumper.

[109] Alterations to the 2.0-liter turbodiesel have resulted in an additional 10 kW (13 hp) and 40 N⋅m (30 lb⋅ft) and a slight reduction in fuel consumption for the manual variant, now a six-speed unit.

[108] The inclusion of the 1.4 also brings an upgrade to electric (as opposed to hydraulic) power steering and affixes a Watt's linkage to the torsion beam rear suspension.

[110] In April 2013, the Series II Cruze received an update and price drops along with many other new extras such as a larger 1.6-liter turbocharged engine as standard on the SRi and SRi-V, replacing the 1.4-liter turbo.

[127] Starting with the 2014 model year, Chevrolet offered the Cruze with the clean diesel engine option for North America.

[140] The Cruze has a new external design with a new split grille front and a fastback-like sloping roofline from the Chinese version of the fastback.

[146] For 2019, the Cruze received a mid-cycle facelift, which made its debut in April 2018, along with restyled versions of the 2019 Camaro, Spark and Malibu.

Other major changes over the international model included revised front and rear bumpers, which aim to give it a similar look to the Holden Astra Hatch.

[150] The 2019 Cruze was tested by the IIHS:[151] The new model was first announced for the Chinese market at the 2014 Beijing Auto Show and went on sale in August 2014.

The second-generation Cruze "was not [considered] a particularly standout product in an extremely competitive segment" against similar offerings from well-established and highly-attractive rivals from Japan, and South Korea such as the Honda Civic, the Toyota Corolla, and the Hyundai Elantra.

[1] The Chevrolet Cruze first entered the World Touring Car Championship in 2009 with a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engine, taking six wins in its debut season.

[169] The Cruze won the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship in 2011, being run by NIKA Racing under the banner of 'Chevrolet Motorsport Sweden' with Rickard Rydell driving.

RML have confirmed they will build Cruzes to the new set of WTCC regulations for 2014, which sees the cars increase in power and feature greater aerodynamics.

Now running a 2.0-litre turbocharged NGTC-specification engine, Girling took one class win at Donington Park but missed the second half of the season.

BTC Racing acquired it and were initially included on the entry list for 2013 but the car was not finished in time and never appeared all season.