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Cruze a hit at Cleveland Auto Show

Rocky and Tawana Warren of Youngstown examine a Lordstown-made Chevrolet Cruze at the Cleveland Auto Show.

CLEVELAND — When it comes to choosing a new vehicle, Rocky and Tawana Warren said they can agree on the Chevrolet Cruze sedan for two main reasons: It is made in Lordstown, and it comes at a good price.

The Youngstown couple had examined some new Cruzes at area dealerships before trying one on for size this past weekend at the Cleveland Auto Show.

“It’s roomier inside than some people might think,” Rocky Warren said. “It’s a comfortable car.”

Tawana Warren said she was impressed with the updated technology the car provides.

“It has a lot of great features,” she said. “I can see why it’s a popular car.”

Since it launched in 2008, the Cruze has been one of General Motors’ top-selling vehicles, and the automaker’s most popular small car.

Lou Vitantonio, Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association and auto show president, said it makes sense for the Lordstown-made Chevy Cruze to be in the spotlight at this year’s event.

“The community, all of northeast Ohio, is proud of the Cruze,” he said. “People from Ohio like knowing it’s made in Ohio.”

This year, the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze and the 2018 Equinox are being featured as the Official Car and Truck of the 2017 Cleveland Auto Show.

The show, presented by AutoTrader.com, kicked off last Friday and continues through Sunday at the I-X Center in Cleveland.

To further celebrate the Cruze, show organizers have chosen it as the official giveaway vehicle. All it takes is the right key.

Each day of the show, one finalist is chosen and invited to return Sunday to receive a key. The finalist with the key that fits the 2017 Cruze Premier takes the vehicle home.

“That would be exciting,” said Bridget Razem, 24, of Lodi.

Razem already drives a Chevy Malibu, but said she was looking for something smaller.

This past weekend she spent time test driving a Cruze in the I-X Center parking lot.

“I like the feel of it. It’s a really comfortable ride,” she said.

Craig Klope of Nashville, who assisted attendees with test drives for Chevy, said the Cruze’s popularity in northeast Ohio quickly caught on across the country.

“Small cars have taken a hit with more people wanting trucks and SUVs right now, but when it comes to the smaller cars, people here and across the country like the Cruze,” he said. “We have quite a few requests to test drive it. I don’t think that will change much, and I can see it becoming as popular as it was before gas prices went down.”

More than 3.5 million Cruzes have been sold around the world since the small car launched and more than 1.25 million of those have been made in Lordstown since production started at the plant in 2010. Early last year, the plant launched the Cruze’s second generation.

Tara Kappele of Kirkland said she’s been considering a Cruze purchase for awhile. She said she’s impressed with the compact car’s $23,475 base price.

“Total, it’s less than $29,000,” she said. “I like that. Plus, it’s cool to have a car made in Ohio when you’re from Ohio and have been your whole life. I just think that’s great. It’s a nice car. It’s definitely nice to know it’s made in Ohio. That’s something to be proud of.”

vshank@tribtoday.com

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