This car has to succeed. General Motors is in no shape to be able to handle this car flopping. The Chevrolet Cruze has to make it, it has to sell.

That’s because the new Cruze replaces the Cobalt and is now prime set to become GM’s bread and butter in the new automotive landscape that seems to be transforming all around us. The Cruze takes a bold (and if I can say, ballsy) aproach with it’s radical yet restrained styling. No butts about it, this is a good looking car. It looks like a car that should be selling for far more than it’s economy price suggests.

Unveiled last Thursday at the 2008 Paris Auto Show, the Cruze immediately got a good response from the crowd, with people generally enthusiastic about the car’s looks. This is France, the land of style and fashion, so this is a good thing.

“Our goal in designing Cruze was to be bold, not evolutionary,” said Taewan Kim, Cruze chief designer, in a statement. “We wanted to take a big step forward, making a strong design statement for Chevrolet products around the world.”  He went on to say, “Inside, the Cruze features a ‘twin cockpit’ design motif, first introduced in the iconic Corvette sports car.”

The Cruze will be the first vehicle to use GM’s revamped Delta 2 platform, an architecture that will be used on all GM small cars around the globe. While still riding on a live beam axle in the rear for cost reason, the platform could easily adapt to independent rear suspension for more expensive models.

Look for the model to debut here early next year. Word about engine choices is still mum, but the upgraded 1.8-liter 140hp 4-cylinder gas engine for the European market will probably be our base engine here.

Above: The new Cruze must be a hit, or GM might be taking a hit….