Even before the Cruze made its international debut some one and a half years ago, there were talks about a 1.4L turbo version. The talk is now over and this variant of the American model was finally unveiled at the New York Auto Show, called the Cruze Eco.

Starting with the front of the Eco, there's a new, wind tunnel-massaged front fascia complete with a class-first "Aero Shutter." Take a look at the air inlet area below the grill. During low speed city driving, the aero shutter is open. However, at higher speeds when cooling the turbocharged engine isn't as much of an issue, the shutter shuts to allow air to move more efficiently around the vehicle in order to reduce drag. There's a full-body underpanel to keep air from getting hung up on stuff like the exhaust and suspension components, as well as ultra low rolling resistance tires shared with the Volt. The Cruze Eco is only available with a manual option at the moment, which means that its chance of a Singapore debut is slim. The manual Cruze Eco has an ultra-tall 6th gear that allows the rpms to greatly drop when the vehicle is at cruising speed.

The 1.4L Turbo powerplant features variable-valve timing technology and generates 138 horsepower @4,900 rpm, together with 148 pound-feet of torque @1,850 rpm.