Updated: Chevrolet’s Cruze global small car and eventual Cobalt replacement is drawing nearer to reality. Due for unveiling at the Paris Auto Show in October, the new small car is GM’s best bet for an attractive, efficient and affordable car in the short term.

Built around the Delta 2 platform - the first GM vehicle to use the new architecture - the Cruze will be the forerunner of the replacements for many of GM’s cars, including the HHR, the Cobalt and Opel’s Zafira. The car’s exterior dimensions are expected to be almost identical to the current Cobalt’s though with its design from the ground-up as a global platform, the new Cruze will be more amenable to use in many markets, reports Edmunds InsideLine.

Those hoping for a hot new small sedan may be disappointed, however, as its expected to feature a torsion-beam rear suspension to cut costs. That means lower ultimate performance, though daily-driver handling and ride quality should be fine. The corner cutting does put the car behind the global C1-platform vehicles built by Ford including the upcoming North American 2010 Focus and the Mazda3.

Power for the U.S. version is expected to come from a 1.4L turbo four-cylinder that’s good for 40mpg on the open road, and likely something on the 20-30mpg cusp in city use. It is scheduled to begin produciton in the U.S. in mid-2010 as a 2011 model.

Original: Latest reports indicate GM’s new Cruze compact car, destined to be unveiled at October’s Paris Motor Show, will replace the current Cobalt range in North America and will be manufactured at the same Lordstown, Ohio, plant. The car will be built on GM’s Delta platform, which will also underpin cars like the next Opel (Saturn Astra). It will also use GM’s new turbocharged Family Zero four-cylinder engine range, set to be manufactured in Flint, Michigan, and should arrive in 2010 as a 2011 model.

The information comes from Chevrolet communications representative Nancy Libby, who told Automotive News the car will first go on sale in Europe in the second half of next year. Power levels should range between 120 (90kW) and 140hp (104kW) and mileage will exceed 40mpg (5.88L/100km).

2010 Chevrolet Cruze spy shots