With rumours of a future hatchback variant in the air, Chevrolet today revealed the sure-thing 2016 Cruze sedan will carry a starting price of $15,995 when it reaches Canadian dealers next Spring.

We know plenty about the car already, thanks to a Motor City reveal in June in which Chevrolet revealed the car’s new design and updated powertrain. While the 1.4L turbocharged engine looks a lot like the old car’s motor on paper, GM says it’s all new, and generates an estimated 153 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque, and unofficially, it’s good for 5.9 L/100 km in highway driving, but we’ll have to wait for the real numbers to see how the Cruze compares with its competition.

That starting price is $180 lower than the entry tag for the outgoing car, and applies to a new L trim level. Chevrolet pegs the $21,295 LT automatic trim as the winner of the “most improved value” prize with its $520 price cut, but in the absence of the full features list, we’ll go ahead and guess the LS automatic will be the volume seller, at $20,295. Notably, LS and LT trims will be offered with manual or automatic transmissions; the L will be manual-only, and a top-end Premier ($23,895) will exclusively use the automatic.

A seven-inch touchscreen with Chevrolet’s MyLink will be standard, as will 10 airbags, wifi hotspot, and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility. The compact-car high-tech safety trickle-down continues, with features like blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, lane keep assist, forward collision alert and automatic high beam headlights to be available.

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