A faster version of the five-door Chevrolet Cruze is said to be in the pipeline.

Speaking with CarAdvice during the 2016 Detroit Motor Show, Alan Batey, the company’s CEO, indicated towards a hotter Cruze hatch: “We’ve really positioned this as sporty, and to appeal to those young, fashion-conscious consumers that are looking for something in the compact segment.”

When asked about the potential for a performance model, Chevy’s boss answered with “Yes – for sure, for sure“, and went on to discuss the car’s global architecture, which allows engine sharing, making a hardcore Cruze “absolutely” possible.

Batey declined to go into details on GM’s hot hatch, but he did talk about the new Cruze, which will not be offered in Europe, alongside the Opel Astra, blaming a brand focus rather than a market-specific issue.

In North America, on the other hand, the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze hatch will go on sale this fall and will be offered with standard MyLink infotainment compatible with Android Auto & Apple CarPlay and the optional projector-beam headlights, leather seats and other features. The 1.4-liter turbo four-pot engine delivers 153hp (155PS) and 177lb-ft (240Nm) of torque to the wheels.

Chevrolet will announce its price close to its launch date.

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