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The new Chevrolet Orlando concept looks like it might be the perfect family truckster for a trip to a Disney park, but you'd better plan on it being Euro Disney.

GM says the Orlando seven-seater mini-minivan won't be built in Detroit and won't be sold in the U.S. after all.

The Orlando is based on the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, a global compact that's coming in a little more than a year to the U.S., but will go on sale next year in other global markets. And it's easy to see a clear path to victory in Europe with the van against size-wise competitors from Ford, Mazda and the French automakers. The compact seven-seat Orlando has a sport-ute flair and a flexible interior. It also has theater-style seating, so backseaters can see the road, and GM promises those seats can be rearranged to create a big cargo area. A GM diesel engine, 2.0 liters in displacement and producing 150 horsepower, is under the hood.

For the U.S., though, the slight success of the likes of the Mazda5 probably convinced GM brass more than anything that the Orlando is best left to other markets. Better to go without a minivan altogether. So van fans, in the absence of happy news, soak up some high-resolution consolation:

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Chevrolet has released these first photos of the 2011 Cruze's interior, prior to its world debut tomorrow at the 2008 Paris auto show.

The new sedan will go on sale in worldwide markets early next year, but not until late 2010 in the U.S., when it will replace the current Cobalt lineup.

GM designer David Lyon says in a release that the new interior is warm and inviting, and features a wide use of color, fabric and texture.

“The interior must build a relationship with drivers. It’s where they spend their time,” he says. With its winged flanks of buttons and integrated display screen, it reminds us more than a little of the Ford Fiesta, and that's a good thing.

Before we get too Project Runway on you, take a look at the shots offered here and stay tuned for tomorrow's full look at the Cruze, live from the Mondiale de l'Expo.

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The 2008 Paris Auto Show is upon us--or, rather, TheCarConnection.com is upon it, since we're just a few Metro stops away and we already have cameras, laptops and phones charging up for tomorrow's full-on press day.

The Paris Auto Show has a unique place in our hearts; it's where we got the background on the Ford-Firestone debacle and lost approximately 40 pounds in water weight, since the Mondiale de l'Expo hall has no air conditioning. It's also been the platform on which some very important cars have been launched to the media and the world, cars like the Audi R8, the Ford Mondeo, the current MINI Cooper and, er, the Dodge Avenger.

This year's show promises to be one of the most chock-full product assaults in Paris in, oh, let's say, 64 years. Here's the first batch of cars we're expecting to see in some form or another on the outskirts of town, down at the Porte de Versailles. Tomorrow morning starts at 7 a.m. with Volkswagen and ends sometime well after midnight, when we bring you the latest details on the BMW X1, the Chevrolet Cruze, the Audi S4, the Honda Insight, Lamborghini's new concept, the Lexus IS Convertible, and the new VW Golf lineup.

Until then, soak up a little joie de vivre with these debutantes:


2011 Chevrolet Volt
The Volt made a splashy debut a few weeks back in Detroit (and here on TheCarConnection.com a little earlier than that).  The $40,000-plus Volt is expected to enter production at the end of 2009, so it could wear a 2011 model-year tag. It'll be shown in Paris, possibly alongside a rebadged version for Opel.

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Honda Insight
At the last Paris auto show in 2006, Honda showed a hybrid coupe concept called the CR-Z. This year in Paris, the automaker will reclaim its Insight name with a new five-door vehicle that bears the hallmarks of its larger, fuel-cell-powered FCX Clarity--not to mention some echoes of the Toyota Prius in its greenhouse. The new Insight seats five, Honda says, and the rear seats fold for improved cargo access. The important innovation in the new Insight is a much less complex, much more affordable hybrid drivetrain, the company says.

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BMW X1

Months ago, BMW confirmed that it was working on a small, new crossover vehicle. There's talk that a concept for the coming 2011 BMW X1 will show up at the Paris Auto Show and that the production version will bow at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show. An eight-speed automatic transmission may be teamed to a new range of direct-injection turbocharged four- and six-cylinder engines. The new X1 will be built by Magna Steyr in Austria.

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2011 Chevrolet Cruze
The new Cruze compact, GM says, "was developed by a global design and engineering team and will be built in multiple locations around the world." At 4.6 meters long--or 181.1 inches--it's a fraction of an inch longer than today's Cobalt. GM also says it will offer "ample interior space and cargo capacity for five passengers, giving it an advantage over competition in the compact segment." It will also sport the new global themes for Chevrolet design, from the bow tie on back. It arrives in American showrooms in 2010.

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Lamborghini Concept
The details are trickling out -- a set of four pictures that hint at a new supercar from Lamborghini--and the official reveal comes the night before the show opens. But what, pray tell, is the new Lamborghini, really? There's every reason to believe it's a four-door sports car along the lines of the Aston Rapide, but Lamborghini is saying nothing more. Stay tuned 9 p.m. Paris time for more on the new concept.

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Audi S4
Audi's new S4 range will ditch its V-8 engine in favor of a new 3.0-liter V-6 with twin turbochargers. Coupled to quattro all-wheel drive and a seven-speed dual-clutch S-tronic transmission, the new S4 and S4 Avant should pose a more serious threat to the BMW M3 range.

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Saab 9-X Air Concept
This new concept's Speedster-like "Canopy Top" gives a different spin on the notion of a Saab convertible, while the rear deck maintains a certain height to provide better crash protection than ordinary convertibles, Saab says in a release. The BioHybrid concept shares the powertrain of the 9-X concept shown last year--a 1.4-liter turbocharged engine that's ethanol-capable.

2010 Lexus IS Convertible
A new hardtop convertible for Toyota's upscale brand, the Lexus IS convertible is based on the four-door sedan that emerged in 2006. No hardtop coupe version is planned in this generation, but the convertible is expected to be offered in Is 250 and IS 350 versions.

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Volkswagen Golf VI
A new Golf range is coming to Paris, though we've heard conflicting reports about when it will show up as a Rabbit in the U.S. The big news in this generation is the concept BlueMotion, which at 62 mpg matches the fuel economy and CO2 emissions (99 g/km) bar set in '06 by the smaller, lighter VW Polo BlueMotion.

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Chevrolet Orlando
A concept pegged as a new global crossover, seven-seat Orlando concept will be in Paris, and is based on the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, a global compact that's coming in a little more than a year to the U.S., but will go on sale next year in other global markets.

Volvo DRIVe Concept
Volvo's new concept small cars use an existing 1.6-liter turbodiesel four and pair it with aero tricks, special Michelin tires with low rolling resistance, taller gearing and other drivetrain enhancements to help the cars eke out lower emissions and greater mileage.

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Mazda Kiyora Concept
The Kiyora is a city car with a mission: lightweight construction and environmental purity, Mazda says. The name means "clean and pure" in Japanese, in fact, highlighting the Kiyora's use of a direct-injection four-cylinder engine.

Audi A6 and RS6
The 2009 Audi A6 already has been shown at the Moscow auto show, but it's also coming to Paris. Audi released photos and details of the updated A6 earlier this month, describing its more efficient engines, improved suspension tuning, and upgraded Multi-Media Interface (MMI) controller. The RS6, meanwhile, ditches the V-8s of lesser A6 derivatives for a 5.0-liter V-10 with twin turbocharged and quattro all-wheel drive. Audi says it draws 580 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque from the engine, which it teams with a six-speed automatic transmission with quicker shift reflexes. Quattro, in this setting, gets its power biased toward the rear for more agile handling. Audi promises acceleration to 60 mph in less than 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 174 mph.

BMW 7 Series
BMW has de-Bangled the big 7 Series somewhat for 2009, and refined its iDrive controller and its interior. It sports a new tail, a markedly cleaner interior, and a more refined silhouette. The new 7er will bow in Paris along with an ActiveHybrid version that could significantly boost fuel economy in the big sedan.

Ferrari California
Ferrari's first folding-hardtop car will get a splashy, no doubt overattended press conference in Paris's steamy Expo. A new 4.3-liter V-8 powers the California, and Ferrari promises it'll develop 460 horsepower and have "a torque curve that enhances vehicle dynamics and provides maximum driving pleasure which is typical for Ferrari." Teamed to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, the engine will push the California to 60 mph in less than 4 seconds.

Kia Soul
After a long trip around the auto show circuit as a "concept," the 2009 Kia Soul gets its worldwide coming-out bash in Paris. Few details have been confirmed on the production version of the Soul, but Kia promises that owners will be able to customize their Soul "through a variety of options, accessories and colors." There's also a Soul Hybrid for those who mix their Al Green with unapproved hints of jazz.

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According to the Detroit Free Press, GM should soon announce a new engine plant in Flint, Mich., that will build the small four-cylinder supplementary engine in the 2011 Chevrolet Volt.

According to plans, the engine will be roughly 1.0 liters in displacement and will be powered on only when the Volt's battery pack becomes discharged, at which time it will act as a generator for both the battery pack and the electric motors that propel the vehicle.

GM has already announced that a new plant in Flint will make the 1.4-liter engine for the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, so we assume this new facility will be making both the Volt and Cruze powerplants, though it's not known if the engines will share tooling or components like engine blocks.

In yet more news of government assistance (this time local), the state of Michigan approved $132.5 million in tax incentives for both the new Flint plant as well as for upgrades to four additional GM facilities. In total, GM's proposed new projects ring in at $838 million, which includes an overhaul of the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant that once built Cadillacs but is now gearing up for Chevy Volt production.--Colin Mathews

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After all the hoopla around the official reveal of the production Chevrolet Volt, preceded by equally breathless press around an apparent leak of unofficial photos, I was about to emit a strangled scream: "STOP already, the damn car won't be here for more than two years!"

Well, this morning Chrysler dealt with all that. In a CNBC exclusive interview, Detroit's perennial underdog and favorite whipping boy stole a bit of buzz from the omnipresent Volt. By announcing it intends to produce three EVs—one of them by the end of 2010—the company has gone GM one better, by giving each of its three brands an uber-cool electric-drive halo car. (Most commentators have justifiably ignored the oddly styled GEM Peapod, although it may spawn a limited-range urban vehicle—of which more later.)

To me, the interesting questions are: Who's supplying the batteries? Will the cars share anything at all with any vehicles Chrysler now builds? And will it actually build any of these cars itself?

Chrysler says the lithium-ion batteries in each of the three vehicles come from a different maker. This morning's Wall Street Journal reports that the company is talking to usual suspect A123 Systems, which recently filed for its initial public offering (IPO) and needs all the publicity it can get. Others include LG Chem (it is vying with A123 for the Volt contract), EnerDel, and JCI-Saft.

More intriguing, Chrysler may not adapt an existing platform for upcoming electric vehicles, as GM has done. The upcoming GM "global compact car" architecture, to be used for the 2010 Chevrolet Cruze and a zillion other vehicles, has been engineered to accept the Volt's E-Flex components, as well as standard gas and diesel engines for all the other variations.

But in a piece I wrote just before Chrysler's announcement at just-auto.com (you'll have to register, sorry), ENVI president Frank Rhodes nixed the idea of a single platform with two masters. Asked about integrating new powertrains—battery packs, electric drive, small range-extender engines—into architectures also built to accommodate standard engines, he reacted sharply. "Sharing platforms? We don't think that makes sense. We believe that end result is sort of the worst of all."

(He did suggest that unique designs and architectures didn't preclude shared production lines and intermingled assembly. That's an ambitious task, if the aluminum structures and reorganized packaging of the company’s Detroit show concepts carry over into production.)

Finally, Chrysler seems to be drifting toward outsourced vehicle assembly. The Dodge EV was the only "new" vehicle of the three it showed off today, and that appears to be a converted Lotus Europa—albeit in bright yellow with Viper-style double black stripes. Lotus already assembles the Tesla Roadster, which is based on some components of its Elise. Now Chrysler and Lotus are reportedly discussing assembly of the Dodge EV in Hethel. Do I hear an echo? Tesla can’t be particularly happy about this one …

Chrysler has also outsourced assembly of its not-yet-arrived small cars, both an unnamed version of the Nissan Sentra and its "Waiting for Godot" Chery small car. On the flip side, it's serving as an outsourcer to Volkswagen, for the Routan minivan (nee Dodge Caravan) and Nissan, for the next Titan pickup truck (nee Dodge Ram). Whether Chrysler decides to build its all-new EVs in house or finds a partner to assemble elsewhere—reducing all those annoying capital expenditure for things like plants and machinery—will be one to watch.

About that urban car, by the way: Chrysler may be serious about the idea of a limited-range city vehicle. In that same piece, the company gave strong hints that it thinks there's a market for a car that offers a range higher than 40 miles, but far lower than the 300 expected of a "regular" car.

Taking a stance against GM’s notion of "range anxiety," Chrysler suggests that it sees a group of buyers—apparently anal-retentive list-makers and mileage loggers—who'd be entirely comfortable with such a vehicle. The secret sauce may be that Chrysler owns Global Electric Motors (GEM), which has sold almost 40,000 "neighborhood electric vehicles" over the past 10 years. In other words, the company probably has a fair grasp on what EV users actually like and want. It promises to be a fascinating market exercise, if it actually happens.

In the end, I'm happy that Chrysler dropped this bombshell into our hidebound little world. For a long time, GM was the only North American electric-drive pioneer out there—and you know what they say about pioneers. (Something about arrows in the back…) Of course, Toyota is quietly spending hundreds of millions of dollars (cash the U.S. makers don’t actually have) to maintain its decade-long dominance of hybrid vehicles. And it's said to be thinking about making the Prius its own brand, with its own lineup of vehicles. One day soon, those cars will start rolling into showrooms, with less hoopla and much shorter lead times.

Meanwhile, let's give Chrysler two cheers. I'm keeping the third one until I actually drive production-ready versions of these suckers. And by the way, GM: That goes for the Volt, too.—John Voelcker