GM Korea Co. uncloaked on Thursday the latest edition of its Cruze compact car that comes with an upgraded design for the sedan first introduced in the local market in 2011.

"The Amazing New Cruze 2015 is just the first step of much more to come," said Sergio Rocha, head of GM Korea during a media event held in western Seoul. "This year, we'll have 10 launch events in South Korea, starting today with the Cruze 2015."

"You should expect new innovations on both the Chevrolet, our mainstream brand, as well as the Cadillac, our premium brand," Rocha said, adding that the carmaker will "put a lot of emphasis on eco-friendly vehicles" down the road.

Pre-orders are now available for the Cruze 2015, sold under the Chevrolet badge, and retail sales are to begin later next month, according to the carmaker, the South Korean unit of U.S. auto manufacturer General Motors Co.

Sharper and brighter details were added to the new model's exterior, with chrome accents to the grille and a bar on the upper rear bumper, and drivers also have a choice between 16-inch and 17-inch alloy wheels for a sporty look. The car's interior has been refurnished in a two-tone motif of saddle brown and ebony.

The new Cruze sedan's drivetrain, with both diesel and gasoline options, runs on a four-cylinder engine mated to either a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox, GM Korea said.

The 2.0-liter diesel engine version has a city-highway fuel mileage of 13.1 kilometers per liter of diesel, with highway fuel efficiency rated at 16 kilometers per liter and that of city driving at 11.4 kilometers per liter.

The engine can generate a maximum of 163 horsepower at 3,800 revolutions per minute with 36.7 kilogram-meter of torque at its best.

Newly added standard safety features include a tire pressure monitoring system as well as sensitive electronic stability control, which can detect whether the car is turning in the right direction and at a rate in line with the steering input. Sensors from the side blind zone alert give the driver an extra set of eyes to help detect objects in the vehicle's blind spots.

The projection fog lamp and the LED daytime running light have been placed together with a boomerang-shaped chrome bezel to give a stylish and harmonized look in addition to the lights' original functions, the carmaker said.

The sticker price for the 1.8-liter gasoline-powered versions range between 17.5 million ($16,114.18) won and 20.59 million won, depending on the trim level, while the 1.4-liter gasoline turbo engine and the 2.0 diesel drivetrain begin at 20.3 million won and 22.25 million won, respectively, according to GM Korea.

GM Korea, South Korea's third-largest automaker, sold 630,532 vehicles in 2014, down 19.2 percent from a year earlier, due largely to a drop in overseas sales after the pullout of its Chevrolet-labeled vehicles from the European market. Domestic sales, however, grew 2.2 percent over the same period, marking the largest growth spurt since it began operations here in 2002, according to the company. (Yonhap)