The next-generation Chevrolet Cruze will be the first car to use GM's new global compact platform, and the model has been spotted winter testing by our sister site Motor Authority.

Due to be launched in 2014 as a 2015 model-year car, the next Cruze will be redesigned inside and out.

Originally, the model was due to feature a plug-in hybrid option, though GM's subsequent decision to focus its efforts on Volt-style plug-ins and its more basic eAssist hybrid system may have seen those plans evaporate.

The next Cruze will still offer better fuel efficiency than the current model, whose Cruze Eco and Cruze Diesel variants are both capable ofover 40 mpg on the highway. It's likely that variations on both models will carry over to the 2015 car.

The new Cruze will be slightly longer than the current model, with most of that length towards the rear of the car, improving passenger and luggage space.

Styling is likely to mirror that of the 2012 Chevrolet Tru 140S concept car, a sporty coupe unveiled at that year's Detroit Auto Show.

That means a more swooping body shape and new head- and tail-light designs. Motor Authority suggests that a coupe version is even possible. The Cruze's predecessor, the Cobalt, featured a coupe version, but the current model does not.

Reuters reports the new model will be built in Lordstown, Ohio, the same location as the current car. GM is investing $220 million at Lordstown and  its Parma, Ohio metal center.

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