Chevrolet is showing a Cruze wagon at the upcoming Geneva auto show. It will be the third Cruze variant, joining the sedan that we do get here and the hatchback we don’t. Its mission is to snag more customers for Chevrolet in wagon-friendly Europe.
As is to be expected, the Cruze wagon wears longer bodywork than the hatchback and offers more cargo capacity. A complement of gas and diesel engines is offered—the European Cruze lineup is getting an improved engine lineup beginning this summer. A handsome set of roof rails is standard, and we think the wagon’s rear end is better resolved than that of the hatch, which wears a rounder posterior that doesn’t exactly match its chiseled front view. Plus, it’s a wagon, and all wagons are inherently awesome.
But will it come here? For now, Chevrolet says the Cruze wagon “isn’t planned for sale in North America.” However, we’re told both the wagon and the hatch haven’t been ruled out completely for our market. The wagon’s chances of making it here are slim at best—it would have to battle Volkswagen’s Jetta SportWagen for a slice of the minuscule compact-wagon pie, and Ford’s decision not to bring the latest Focus wagon here is telling. Although we were previously told not to expect the five-door Cruze hatch, its North American prospects now seem brighter. A combination of increasing consumer interest in hatchbacks and increased competition in the form of the Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra GT, and Mazda 3 have Chevy at least thinking about it. And such trickle-down European Cruze goodness isn’t without precedent; Chevy recently announced it will sell a diesel Cruze here starting in 2013.
So now we just sit and hope for the diesel Cruze hatch to show up. With a manual, of course.
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