Why Was The Chevy Cruze Discontinued & Was There A Diesel Option For Each Model?

Given how many iconic car models Chevrolet has built over the years, many may have forgotten the Chevy Cruze. The compact car came at a fragile time for the automotive manufacturer, who faced bankruptcy in 2010, and immediately made an impact. Its affordable cost and great gas mileage drew customers to the sedan, but it only lasted about a decade. So, what went wrong with the Chevy Cruze?

The Cruze may be one of the most fuel-efficient Chevrolets ever made, but even that wasn't enough to protect it from the ever-changing automotive industry. When it debuted, gas prices across the United States were over three dollars a gallon, and the Cruze put up numbers. From 2011 to 2015, the car consistently sold over 200,000 units a year in the U.S. But as fuel prices stabilized and fell again, so did the Cruze's sales. In 2019, GM decided to discontinue the compact sedan.

However, sales weren't necessarily the main cause. GM moved away from compact sedans entirely, shifting its focus to SUVs and electric vehicles. The company shut down many plants that manufactured once-beloved cars, including the Cruze, leading to its discontinuation.

Only time will tell if the Cruze will join the list of cars Chevrolet should have never discontinued, but there's certainly an argument to be made. The Cruze had a lot to offer, including an affordable price, great fuel efficiency, and even a number of diesel options.

The diesel-powered Cruze was a staple throughout its production run, both abroad and in the U.S. The car carried a number of different turbocharged diesel engine options under the hood, including a couple different 2.0-liter inline-4 engines in the early years and a clean diesel version of the same displacement introduced in 2014 that provided 46 mpg on the highway. In general, these versions put their gas-powered counterpart to shame with even more impressive fuel efficiency. The Cruze's final diesel engine — a 1.6-liter introduced in 2017 — could regularly reach over 50 mpg on the highway. Car and Driver was even able to bring a 2017 model diesel to 70 mpg on a particular highway run.

The 2017 model year included two Cruze diesels. Both were four-door sedans, but one had a six-speed manual transmission while the other was a nine-speed automatic. GM brought both diesel options back for the 2018 model year and added them for the hatchback models, but the manual transmission was removed for 2019. The diesel Cruze died alongside its gas-powered counterpart later that year.