New Years offer a brand new start, a clean slate, for each of us to reach a goal, fulfill our inside potential and take the world by storm. We’re planning on doing the latter during each and every day in 2011 and we welcome you to join us! There’s some exciting fronts coming the GM way and we’ll be here bringing them all to you, before anybody else, with insights provided by the very best and brightest inside of GM.

So let’s start off 2011 right and do it to it! But first, we’d like to wish you and yours, from all of us here at GMTunerSource.com, a very Happy New Year.

Now let’s get after it…

Ever since it was announced that the globally-popular Cruze would be replacing the Cobalt as the sport compact car entity in the GM lineup, many have been wondering what changes GM would make to the already successful Cruze platform when it finally comes to the US. As it turns out, not many. The Cruze is coming for blood against all competitors in the small car segment with some serious benefits for tuners as well. If you grab an LT or LTZ Cruze, you’ll be getting a 1.4L turbo under the bonnet with a choice of a 6-speed manual – no flappy-paddle gearboxes here, just a straight pull-throw stick is what you’ll find nestled in your right hand. The 1.4L Turbo engine is an ECOtec too so you know it can take some serious abuse from aftermarket tweaking and tuning. We’ll be interested to see what offerings tuners like Garrett will be putting out once this bad boy hits the streets. That’s just the beginning though, for full details about the U.S.-spec Chevy Cruze check out all the pics and the full press release after the jump.