title: The Grudge (2020 film)

text: Detectives Goodman and Wilson investigate the Landers murders. Unsettled by the house, Goodman refuses to enter, while Wilson enters to examine the scene. Upon exiting, Wilson slowly starts to lose his mind, and eventually becomes hysterical when he spots Fiona's ghost outside Goodman's car; after which he attempts to commit suicide by shooting himself, but survives, leaving him disfigured and committed to a psychiatric asylum. Goodman stops looking into the case.


title: The Grudge (2020 film)

text: Shortly after the Landers are murdered, but before anyone discovers their deaths, real estate agents Peter and Nina Spencer learn that their unborn child will most likely be born with the rare genetic disorder ALD. Peter goes to look into selling 44 Reyburn Drive and stumbles across Melinda's ghost, presuming her to be a lost girl, who is bleeding profusely from her nose.


title: The Grudge (2020 film)

text: While on the phone with Peter, Nina agrees that they should keep their child. Peter is attacked by Fiona and Melinda's ghosts before fleeing the house and is quickly corrupted by the curse. The possessed Peter returns to his home, where he kills Nina and their unborn child before he drowns himself (or possibly killed by Fiona's ghost) in the bathtub.


title: The Grudge (2020 film)

text: In 2005, elderly couple Faith and William Matheson move into the house. Faith suffers from dementia and a terminal illness. After moving in, Faith is infected by the curse and starts to see Melinda around the house. Her sanity rapidly declines, causing William to call over Lorna Moody, an assisted suicide consultant.


title: The Grudge (2020 film)

text: Disturbed, Lorna suggests to William that they leave the house, but William reveals that he is aware of the ghosts and suggests that it implies a future where people get to be with their loved ones after death. Lorna later discovers that Faith has killed William and has sliced off her own fingers. Lorna flees in horror only to be attacked by Sam's ghost in her car which crashes, killing her.


title: The Grudge (2020 film)

text: In 2006, rookie detective Muldoon moves to town with her son Burke following her husband's death from cancer. Muldoon along with Goodman, her new partner, are called to the woods where Lorna's corpse has been discovered. Goodman becomes uncomfortable when they learn that Lorna had been visiting 44 Reyburn Drive. Noticing this, Muldoon questions him, and he reveals his suspicion that the house is cursed, and states he wants nothing to do with it.


title: The Grudge (2020 film)

text: Muldoon goes to the house, discovering a disoriented Faith and William's corpse. Faith is taken to a hospital, where she sees Melinda and throws herself off a staircase landing, committing suicide. As Muldoon continues her research into the case, she is haunted by the ghosts of the Landers. She visits Wilson in the asylum, who tells her that all people who enter the house will become victims of the curse. Wilson then gouges out his eyes so he can stop seeing the ghosts. Fearful that the curse may make her hurt her son, Muldoon confides in Goodman and learns that the curse began with a family in Japan; Fiona is the one who brought it abroad. After she is attacked by the Landers' ghosts again, Muldoon goes to the house and douses it in gasoline as she sees visions of how Fiona murdered her family. She is tricked into seeing Burke, however she realizes it isn't really him after he fails to repeat a phrase the two of them use regularly. The house burns to the ground as Muldoon embraces her real son outside.


title: The Grudge (2020 film)

text: Sometime later, Muldoon hugs Burke before he leaves for school, only to see the real Burke leave the house. The "Burke" she is hugging is revealed to be Melinda. Muldoon is dragged away by Fiona's ghost, becoming the next victim of the curse.


title: The Grudge (2020 film)

text: After Muldoon burns the house to the ground, she sees Burke watching her. Sometime later, the pair is driving on a road toward a new home. As they pull into the driveway of their home and enter, the credits begin rolling.


title: The Grudge (2020 film)

text: The characters of Toshio Saeki and Yoko from previous "The Grudge" films additionally briefly appear in the film's opening, respectively portrayed by an uncredited hand model and voice actress. Takako Fuji, who previously played Kayako Saeki in the franchise, voiced Faith Matheson in the Japanese dub of the film.


title: The Grudge (2020 film)

text: A fourth installment of the American "The Grudge" film series was first announced in August 2011, to be developed by Ghost House Pictures and Mandate Pictures. It was also announced that the film was set to be a reboot, though it was not confirmed whether the film would be a theatrical release or direct-to-video like "The Grudge 3". In November 2011, Roy Lee, who was an executive producer of the previous three films, revealed that the producers were still undecided on what the fourth installment would entail. According to Lee, they were still "hearing takes from writers on what they could bring to the table on what their thoughts are on a new version".


title: The Grudge (2020 film)

text: On March 20, 2014, it was announced that Jeff Buhler had been hired to write the script, and that the film would be produced by Ghost House Pictures and Good Universe. Buhler stated in April that the film would not involve the 2004 film or any of the Japanese "Ju-On" films. Instead it would introduce new ghosts, characters, and mythology. Buhler also clarified that although the mythology would be pushed forward, they would try to keep the "concept and spirits" of the films. It was also reported that the character of Kayako Saeki, who had been central to the previous three installments, would be absent from the reboot.


title: The Grudge (2020 film)

text: In early July 2017, it was announced Nicolas Pesce had been hired as director and that he would be rewriting Buhler's draft of the script. Pesce has stated that it would be "[much] darker, grittier, and more realistic".


title: The Grudge (2020 film)

text: In March 2018, it was announced that Andrea Riseborough would star in the film. Later, it was announced that Demián Bichir had also joined the cast, and that filming was set to start in May 2018. John Cho and Lin Shaye were added to the cast in March 2018, and in April 2018, Jacki Weaver, Betty Gilpin, William Sadler, and Frankie Faison also signed on.


title: The Grudge (2020 film)

text: Principal photography began on May 7, 2018, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and ended on June 23, 2018. Additional photography and reshoots took place in June 2019.


title: The Grudge (2020 film)

text: In the United States and Canada, "The Grudge" was projected to gross $11–15 million from 2,642 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $5.4 million on its first day, including $1.8 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $11.4 million, finishing fifth and marking the lowest opening of any U.S. theatrical film in the series. The film fell 69% in its second weekend to $3.5 million, finishing eleventh.


title: The Grudge (2020 film)

text: , "The Grudge" has grossed $21.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $28.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $49.5 million, against a production budget of $10–14 million.


title: The Grudge (2020 film)

text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 20% based on 127 reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critical consensus reads, "Dull and derivative, the rebooted "Grudge" wastes a talented cast and filmmaker on watered-down scares that may leave viewers nursing grievances of their own." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 41 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a rare average grade of "F" on an A+ to F scale (one of only 22 films to receive the rating, ), while those at PostTrak gave it an average 0.5 out of 5 stars.


title: The Grudge (2020 film)

text: Writing for the "San Francisco Chronicle", Mick LaSalle said the film was all premise and no development, adding, "I saw this movie in the middle of the day, having had a great night's sleep, and I had to slap myself awake a few times." "Variety"s Owen Gleiberman called the film "a reboot of a remake of a film that wasn't all that scary to begin with", and wrote, ""The Grudge" plods on as if it were something more than formula gunk, cutting back and forth among the thinly written unfortunates who've been touched by the curse of that house." Nick Allen of "RogerEbert.com" gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, saying that it is "often as nasty as you want it to be, its cheesy jump-scares and generic packaging be damned".


title: The Grudge (2020 film)

text: Noel Murray of "The Los Angeles Times" wrote, "This is not a 'fun' horror picture. It's about miseries both supernatural and mundane. And, yes, it's scary. Pesce's art-film roots are evident in the movie's slow-burn first hour. But in the final third, "The Grudge" piles on the explicit gore and jump scares — all leading to a final scene and final shot as terrifying as anything in the original series. If the angry, vengeful 'Ju-On' ghosts must endure, they might as well be deployed by someone who knows how to make their attacks bruising." Ben Kenigsberg of "The New York Times" said, "The remake remains cursed by a fatally hokey concept."


title: The Grudge (2020 film)

text: In September 2019, "The Grudge" director Nicolas Pesce expressed interest in a crossover film between "The Grudge" and the American "The Ring" film series, which was done for the first time in 2016 with "Sadako vs. Kayako". In January 2020, Pesce expressed further interest in a sequel being set in both a different part of the world than America or Japan, and in a different "less contemporary" time period compared to previous films.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Rod Blagojevich ( , born December 10, 1956), often referred to by his nicknames "Blago" or "B-Rod", is an American former politician, political commentator, and convicted felon who served as the 40th governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009, when he was impeached following charges of public corruption for which he was later sentenced to federal prison. A member of the Democratic Party, Blagojevich previously worked in both the state and federal legislatures. He served as an Illinois state representative from 1993 to 1997, and the U.S. representative from Illinois's 5th district from 1997 to 2003.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Born and raised in Chicago, Blagojevich graduated from Northwestern University in 1979 and the Pepperdine University School of Law in 1983. After graduating, he became a criminal prosecutor at the Cook County State's Attorney Office during the late 1980s. Turning to elective politics, he represented the 33rd state house district in the Illinois House of Representatives where he supported mostly law and order policies. Forgoing a second term in the state legislature, he represented for six years, winning re-election twice. He was elected Illinois governor in 2002, the first Democrat to win the office since 1972. There was increased public education funding, infrastructure development, and criminal justice reforms during his first term.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: A 2006 re-election and his second term led to the passage of a variety of healthcare, gun control, and anti-discrimination bills. Starting in December 2008, a federal investigation and trial found Blagojevich guilty of public corruption after he attempted to solicit bribes to occupy the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama upon his election to the presidency. These charges were brought in after Blagojevich threatened to stop the state's dealings with Bank of America Corp. over a shut-down factory in Chicago. Blagojevich was impeached, convicted, and removed from office in 2009 by the Illinois General Assembly. He was also subsequently barred by the Illinois Senate from holding public office within the state ever again. For his role in the corruption scandal, Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison. After an appeal for his release, U.S. President Donald Trump formally commuted his sentence in 2020, after Blagojevich had been imprisoned for nearly eight years; the executive order ended his sentence six years early. In May 2020, Blagojevich launched a politics-themed podcast called "The Lightning Rod" on WLS-AM 890.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Rod Blagojevich was born in Chicago, Illinois, the second of two children. His parents were Serbian immigrants from Yugoslavia. His father, Rade B. Blagojevich, was an immigrant steel plant laborer from a village near Kragujevac, Serbia. His mother, Mila, was a Bosnian Serb, whose family was originally from Gacko, Bosnia and Herzegovina. His parents moved to Chicago in 1947. Blagojevich has a brother, Rob, who worked as a fund-raiser for Blagojevich in his later political career. Blagojevich spent much of his childhood working odd jobs to help the family pay its bills. He was a shoeshiner and pizza delivery boy before working at a meat packing plant. In order to afford university costs, Blagojevich worked for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System as a dishwasher.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich does not have a middle name, but uses the initial "R" in honor of his deceased father. His nickname in the family was "Milorad," which some have mistakenly thought to be his name at birth.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich graduated from Chicago's Foreman High School after transferring from Lane Technical High School. He played basketball in high school, and participated in two fights after training as a Golden Gloves boxer. After graduation, he enrolled at the University of Tampa. After two years, he transferred to Northwestern University in suburban Evanston, where he graduated in 1979 with a B.A. in history. He earned his J.D. from the Pepperdine University School of Law in 1983. He later said of the experience: "I went to law school at a place called Pepperdine in Malibu, California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean — a lot of surfing and movie stars and all the rest. I barely knew where that law library was." Blagojevich is married to Patricia Mell, the daughter of former Chicago alderman Richard Mell.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich had an amateur boxing career which spanned 13 months and included Golden Gloves competition. He trained under Jerry Marzillo in Chicago's Park District, and he fought some of his matches at the St. Andrews Gym in Chicago's Northside.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich clerked for Chicago Alderman Edward Vrdolyak. Blagojevich then took a job as Cook County Assistant State's Attorney (assistant prosecutor) under State's Attorney Richard M. Daley, specializing in domestic abuse crimes and felony weapons cases.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: In 1992, with the backing of his influential father-in-law, Blagojevich unseated 14-year incumbent Myron Kulas in the Democratic primary for the 33rd state house district, in the Illinois House of Representatives, which includes part of Chicago's North Side. As is the case with most state legislative elections in Chicago, this virtually assured him of election in November. He drew on his experiences as a prosecutor to draft bills that he argued would strengthen the state's judicial system and reduce crime.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: In 1996, Blagojevich did not seek reelection to the statehouse but instead ran for , based on the North Side. The district had long been represented by Dan Rostenkowski, who served as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Rostenkowski lost reelection in 1994 to Republican Michael Patrick Flanagan after pleading guilty to mail fraud. However, Flanagan was a conservative Republican representing a heavily Democratic district and was regarded as a heavy underdog. Blagojevich soundly defeated Flanagan by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, with support from his father-in-law. He was elected two more times, taking 74% against a nominal Republican challenger in 1998 and having only a Libertarian opponent in 2000.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich was not known as a particularly active congressman. In the late 1990s, he traveled with Jesse Jackson to Belgrade in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to negotiate with President Slobodan Milošević for the release of American prisoners of war.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: On October 10, 2002, Blagojevich was one of 81 House Democrats, and one of only two from Illinois (the other being David D. Phelps), who voted in favor of authorizing the invasion of Iraq.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: During 2002, Blagojevich campaigned for his party's nomination to become governor. Blagojevich won a close primary campaign against former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris and Chicago Public Schools Superintendent Paul Vallas, who ran well in the suburban collar counties of Chicago. Blagojevich finished strongly in Southern Illinois, winning 55% of the primary vote downstate, enough to win a primary victory by a thin margin.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: During the primary, state Senator Barack Obama backed Burris but, at Burris's suggestion, supported Blagojevich after he won the primary, serving as a "top adviser" for the general election. Future Obama senior adviser David Axelrod had previously worked with Blagojevich on congressional campaigns, but did not consider Blagojevich ready to be governor and declined to work for him on this campaign. According to Rahm Emanuel, he, Obama, Blagojevich's campaign co-chair David Wilhelm, and another Blagojevich staffer "were the top strategists of Blagojevich's 2002 gubernatorial victory", meeting weekly to outline campaign strategies. However, Wilhelm has said that Emanuel overstated Obama's role in the sessions, and Emanuel said in December 2008 that Wilhelm was correct and he had been wrong in his earlier 2008 recollection to "The New Yorker".


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: In the general election, Blagojevich defeated Republican Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan. Blagojevich's campaign was helped by his well-connected father-in-law, Chicago alderman Richard Mell. Ethics scandals had plagued the previous administration of Republican George Ryan (no relation to Jim Ryan), and Blagojevich's campaign focused on the theme of "ending business as usual" in state government. Polls prior to the election found that many Illinois voters were confused about the names of George Ryan and Jim Ryan, a fact which Blagojevich used to his advantage. He asked, "How can you replace one Ryan with another Ryan and call that change? You want change? Elect a guy named Blagojevich." Blagojevich won with 52% of the vote over Jim Ryan. On election night, he said: "Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, Illinois has voted for change."


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: From 2005 to 2006, Blagojevich served as federal liaison for the Democratic Governors Association. In 2005, Blagojevich also served as a Chair of the Midwestern Governors Association.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Numerous scandals brought the governor's approval rating as low as 36 percent, with 56 percent disapproving near the end of 2005. By early 2006, five Republicans campaigned in the primary for the right to challenge him in the general election, with state treasurer Judy Baar Topinka eventually winning the nomination.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich formally began his 2006 reelection campaign for Governor of Illinois on February 19, 2006. He won the Democratic primary on March 21 with 72% of the vote against challenger Edwin Eisendrath, whom Blagojevich would not debate.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: He convinced Democratic state senator James Meeks not to launch a third-party campaign by promising to attempt to lease out the state lottery to provide education funding.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich was endorsed by many Democratic leaders (with the notable exception of Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who claimed it was a conflict of interest since her office was investigating him), including then-Illinois Senator Barack Obama, who endorsed the governor in early 2005 and spoke on his behalf at the August 2006 Illinois State Fair. Blagojevich was also endorsed by the state's Sierra Club, the only Illinois governor ever endorsed by the organization. The union American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees declined to endorse Blagojevich for reelection, citing the 500 jobs he eliminated from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, which left some state parks unsupervised.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: In 2004, Blagojevich had ordered the Illinois Tollway to erect 32 signs at a cost of $480,000, announcing "Open Road Tolling. Rod R. Blagojevich, Governor." In 2006, the signs were criticized for serving as campaign signs and costing significantly more than the common $200 signs.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: In the general election, Blagojevich defeated Topinka and the Green Party's Rich Whitney, outspending Topinka $27 million to $6 million. He attempted to tie Topinka to former Republican governor George Ryan's corruption. Topinka ran advertisements detailing Blagojevich's federal investigations and non-endorsements by major state Democrats such as Lisa Madigan. A three-term state treasurer, Topinka said that she had attempted to stop Blagojevich from using money from special funds for general expenditures without approval of the legislature; she said Blagojevich used the funds for projects meant to distract voters from his associates' corruption trials: "This constant giving away of money ... a million here, a million there, it raids our already hamstrung government and deadbeat state." Topinka's spokesman claimed that Blagojevich was the most investigated governor in Illinois history. Topinka lost to Blagojevich by 11%.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: After the 2002 elections, Democrats had control of the Illinois House, Senate, and all but one statewide office. While in office, Blagojevich signed progressive legislation such as ethics reform, death penalty reform, a state Earned Income Tax Credit, a statewide comprehensive smoking ban and expansions of health programs like KidCare and FamilyCare (FamilyCare was ruled unconstitutional). Blagojevich signed a bill in 2005 that prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing, public accommodations, and credit. Blagojevich originally campaigned against pork barrel spending, but eventually used it himself to gain more votes for bills.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Soon after taking office in 2003, Blagojevich continued support of a moratorium on executions of death row inmates, even though no such executions are likely to occur for years (his predecessor, George Ryan, commuted all of the death sentences in the state shortly before leaving office in 2003). This support continued through his administration.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Another notable action of his term was a strict new ethics law. When campaigning for re-election in 2006, Blagojevich said that if his ethics law had existed when former governor George Ryan had been in office, Ryan's corruption might not have occurred. Blagojevich also signed a comprehensive death penalty reform bill that was written by then-Senator Barack Obama and the late U.S. Senator Paul M. Simon. Organized labor and African Americans were Blagojevich's staunchest political supporters. In 2008, he told a group of African-Americans that he sometimes considered himself the first African American governor of Illinois.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich oversaw record increases in funding for education every year without raising general sales or income taxes. He was criticized by Republicans and many moderate Democrats for using funds from the state pension system in order to fund other spending. Another early 2006 proposal included "PreSchool for All" for all three- and four-year-old children in Illinois. Legislation authorizing the program was adopted as part of the fiscal year 2007 budget.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: On January 10, 2006, Blagojevich announced a proposal for a new $3 billion (US) spending plan for Illinois roads, mass transit, and schools, to be paid for by increased tax revenue and new gambling proposals (such as Keno and lottery games). The proposal met with immediate opposition by members of the Republican Party of Illinois and many Democrats, who viewed it as "an election year ploy". The suggestion to legalize Keno within Illinois was later withdrawn. As of 2008, Blagojevich had been unable for five years to agree to a capital plan that would improve Illinois infrastructure.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: In March 2008, Blagojevich announced a bipartisan coalition, chaired by former U.S. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and Former U.S. Congressman Glenn Poshard, to develop a capital construction plan that could pass the Illinois General Assembly. The Illinois Works Coalition toured the state and developed a compromise $34 billion package that relied on a lease of the Illinois Lottery, road funds, and expanded gambling for funding. The plan passed the Senate but stalled in the Illinois House, with opposition from Democrats.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich called the Illinois General Assembly into special session 36 times while in office, which is half of the total number of special sessions called since 1970. The sessions were blamed for disrupting lawmakers' time off, while Blagojevich himself did not attend the sessions.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich disagreed with many state Democrats while in office, with House and Senate Republican leaders Frank Watson and Tom Cross often refereeing among the Democrats. During 2008, Blagojevich even expressed fear that House Democrats would gain more seats and he would face more opposition.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich's lieutenant governor was Pat Quinn. Quinn and Blagojevich publicly disagreed over Blagojevich's proposed Gross Receipts Tax to increase revenue for schools and other projects within Illinois. Quinn said in December 2008, that he had last spoken to Blagojevich in the summer of 2007. Blagojevich also feuded with Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Comptroller Dan Hynes, Secretary of State Jesse White, and state treasurer Alexi Giannoulias — all of whom are Democrats.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich was often at odds with members of both parties in the state legislature. Democratic legislator Jack Franks said that the reason Blagojevich had problems passing laws with the cooperation of the General Assembly is that he did not spend enough time with the legislature. "That's a real reason he has such poor relations with the Legislature and can't get any of his agenda passed, because he doesn't talk to anybody." When lawmakers working on a budget during a special session met at 10 am rather than 2 pm, and Blagojevich's attorney threatened that the Governor was considering legal action against the involved representatives, Democratic Rep. Joe Lyons told reporters, "We have a madman. The man is insane."


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Although Barack Obama served as an adviser to Blagojevich's 2002 gubernatorial campaign, by all accounts, Blagojevich and Obama have been estranged for years. Blagojevich did not endorse Obama in the 2004 United States Senate race, and Obama did not invite Blagojevich to speak at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, as he did Lisa Madigan, Hynes, and Giannoulias. Blagojevich has had a "friendly rapport" with the man who took over his congressional seat, Rahm Emanuel.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich has also disagreed publicly with then-Democratic Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley; after their dispute over Chicago Transit Authority funding, Daley called Blagojevich "cuckoo" and said he did not want to argue with the Governor since "He's arguing with everybody in America." Blagojevich replied, "I don't think I'm cuckoo."


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Soon after a meeting of 2007 with Democratic State Senator Mike Jacobs, meant to convince Jacobs to vote for Blagojevich's health insurance proposals, Jacobs emerged telling reporters that the Governor "blew up at him like a 10-year-old child", Blagojevich would not comment on the alleged incident. Jacobs said during 2008: "This is a governor who I don't think has a single ally, except for Senate president Emil Jones — and that's tenuous at best." Jones and Blagojevich sometimes collaborated, while at other times they disagreed on funding for education.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: During a 2008 Congressional race pitting Democratic state senator Debbie Halvorson against Republican Marty Ozinga, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ran television advertisements attempting to help Halvorson by linking Republican Ozinga to Blagojevich, asserting that Ozinga had given campaign donations to the Democratic governor.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: During early February 2006, Blagojevich appeared on "The Daily Show" to discuss the governor’s executive order that pharmacists must dispense any drugs for which a customer had a valid prescription, including birth control pills and Plan B. This measure was being challenged on the show by state legislator Ron Stephens from Greenville, Illinois. Blagojevich was interviewed by Jason Jones, who repeatedly pretended to be unable to pronounce Blagojevich's name and simply called him "Governor Smith". At one point in the interview, Jones, who was acting as if he were against the governor's order, told him, "I'll be in charge of what my listeners hear." This prompted Blagojevich to turn to the camera and ask, "Is he teasing me or is that legit?" Two weeks after the interview, Blagojevich said that he was unaware of the nature of the show. Stephens said he knew beforehand that the show was a comedy show: "I thought the governor was hip enough that he would have known that, too."


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Stephens later said, "With all due respect to the governor, he knew it was a comedy show. It's general knowledge for people under 90 years of age. It was when he came off looking so silly that he said he thought it was a regular news program. Even assuming he didn't know about it beforehand, we had to sign a release before the interview."


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich made another appearance on "The Daily Show" on August 23, 2010, after his removal from office. During his time on the show, he vehemently defended himself against host Jon Stewart's critique of things that he had previously said on the show. Stewart focused on how Blagojevich had expressed a great desire to tell his side in court, but then did not. Stewart attempted to get a promise that next time, Blagojevich would testify. Stewart also focused on Blagojevich's previous statement to him, that if one heard the famous "effing golden" statement in context, it would be seen as innocent. Stewart played the additional recording, and asked him how that sounded any different. The former governor had no concrete answers.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich was criticized for using what his opponents called "gimmicks" to balance the state budget. Republicans claimed that he was simply passing the state's fiscal problems on to future generations by borrowing his way to balanced budgets. Indeed, the 2005 state budget called for paying the bills by underfunding a state employees' pension fund by $1.2 billion.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: During 2008, Blagojevich proposed issuing $16 billion in new bonds for the state to meet pension fund requirements. Blagojevich once told a gathering of black ministers on Chicago's South Side that he was "on the side of our Lord" with his budget proposals.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich proposed a budget for 2008 with a 5% increase from the year before. Budget reductions of some programs caused Blagojevich to attempt to close 11 state parks and 13 state historic sites, with his spokesman saying Blagojevich had never visited any of them. To plug state budget holes, Blagojevich at one point proposed selling the James R. Thompson Center or mortgaging it. Blagojevich was also criticized for his handling of the 2007 state budget. In particular, critics cited his unprecedented use of line-item and reduction vetoes to remove his political opponents' "member initiatives" from the budget bill.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: During 2003, more than 1,000 Illinois judges began a class action lawsuit against Blagojevich, because Blagojevich had stopped constitutionally-required cost of living pay increases for the judges due to budget reductions. The case was settled in the judges' favor in 2005, with Blagojevich's veto ruled as violating the state's constitution.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: During a suspected shortage of the flu vaccine in 2004, Blagojevich ordered 260,000 doses from overseas distributors, which the Food and Drug Administration had warned would be barred from entering the United States. Although the vaccine doses had cost the state $2.6 million, the FDA refused to allow them into the country, and a buyer could not be found; they were donated to earthquake survivors in Pakistan a year later. However, the lots had expired, and Pakistan destroyed the vaccines.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Also in 2004, Blagojevich's plans to set up a website for Illinois residents to import medication from Canada and the United Kingdom was blocked by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Imported medication would have saved users of the service 25 to 50 percent over domestic drugs.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich issued an executive order during 2004 requiring pharmacists in the state to dispense "morning-after" birth control, even if they object on moral or religious grounds. This order was legally challenged. Later in 2007, opponents of the governor's executive order reached a settlement with the state in one case, causing partial removal of the order. The settlement, which followed the Illinois Supreme Court's decision in September 2007 to hear an appeal of a lawsuit challenging the executive order, allowed pharmacists to decline to dispense birth control, so long as they provided information to customers about pharmacists who did. In another case, Morr-Fitz v. Blagojevich (later Morr-Fitz v. Quinn), the Illinois Court of Appeals ruled against Blagojevich's order.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: During October 2005, Blagojevich announced All Kids, his plan to provide access to state-subsidized healthcare for every child in Illinois. Signed into law by Blagojevich in November 2005, All Kids made Illinois the first state in the U.S. to attempt to legally require itself to provide universal affordable and comprehensive healthcare for children, regardless of income and immigration status.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: During March 2007, Blagojevich announced and campaigned for his universal healthcare plan, Illinois Covered. The plan was debated in the Illinois State Senate, but came one vote short of passing. He proposed to pay for the plan with the largest tax increase in Illinois history. He proposed a gross receipts tax on businesses, a $7.6 billion tax increase, with proceeds earmarked to provide universal healthcare in Illinois, increase education spending by $1.5 billion, fund a $25 billion capital construction plan, and reduce the State's $40 billion pension debt. Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan called for a vote on a non-binding resolution on whether the state should impose a gross receipts tax. When it became apparent that the resolution would be defeated, Blagojevich announced at the last minute that supporters should vote against it, although the vote was intended to be a test vote to gauge whether the measure had any support. The request was seen by many lawmakers from both parties as an attempt to spin the loss positively. It was defeated by a vote of 107–0, which the Associated Press termed "jaw-dropping". When asked about the vote of the day, Blagojevich said, "Today, I think, was basically an up. ... I feel good about it."


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich also successfully proposed a new tax on businesses that do not provide health insurance to their employees.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Lawmakers did not approve another initiative of Blagojevich's, FamilyCare (which would provide healthcare for families of four making up to $82,000), but Blagojevich attempted to implement the plan unilaterally by executive order. In rejecting Blagojevich's executive order, a legislative committee questioned how the state would pay for the program. Blagojevich's decision has been called unconstitutional by two courts, which nullified the plan. However, during October 2008, pharmacies which had followed Blagojevich's directive to dispense drugs under the plan were informed by his administration that they would not be reimbursed and would have payments given under the system deducted from future Medicaid payments. One state lawmaker, Republican Ron Stephens, suggested that Blagojevich should pay the difference out of his own personal account. "The Pantagraph" agreed with Stephens in an editorial.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Associated Press attempted under the Freedom of Information Act to discover how the state planned to pay for the Blagojevich-ordered program, how many people were enrolled, or how much the care had cost the state but were refused the information by state departments.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: After Blagojevich pushed for a law banning sales of certain video games to minors, a federal judge declared the law violated the First Amendment, with the state ordered to pay $520,000 in legal fees.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich vetoed three bills that would permit trucks to drive 65 mph outside the Chicago area instead of the current 55 mph, stating that one bill "compromises safety".


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich threatened to stop the state's dealings with Bank of America Corp. over a shut-down factory in Chicago. On December 8, 2008, all state agencies were ordered to stop conducting business with Bank of America to pressure the company to make the loans. Blagojevich said the biggest U.S. retail bank would not get any more state business unless it restored credit to Republic Windows and Doors, whose workers were staging a sit-in. John Douglas, a former general counsel for the FDIC and attorney for Bank of America, called Blagojevich's gambit dangerous.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: During his February 2006 "State of the State" address, Blagojevich said the state should ban semi-automatic firearms.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: As a state legislator, Blagojevich proposed raising the price of an Illinois Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card from $5 to $500.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: In early 2009, Blagojevich reported being so impressed by Oprah Winfrey's influence on the election of Barack Obama that he considered offering Obama's vacant Senate seat to Winfrey. Blagojevich summarized his reasons for considering Winfrey on various talk shows:


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Political analyst Chris Matthews praised Blagojevich's idea of making Winfrey a senator, suggesting that in one move it would diversify the Senate and raise its collective IQ. Elaborating further he said:


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Lynn Sweet of the "Chicago Sun Times" agreed with Matthews, writing Winfrey would be "terrific" and an "enormously popular pick".


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich was famed for his flamboyant dress style, such as his taste for Charvet ties. After the Justice Department complaint was made public, Blagojevich's hairstyle became the subject of discussion and jokes for national and local media personalities. Blagojevich insisted his aides always carry a hairbrush for him. He referred to it as "the football", alluding to the term "nuclear football", which represents the bomb launch codes never to be out of reach of the president.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: After Blagojevich threatened to stop the state's dealings with Bank of America Corp. over a shut-down factory in Chicago, under the direction of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, Governor Blagojevich was arrested at his home by federal agents on December 9, 2008, and charged with corruption. The Justice Department complaint alleged that the governor conspired to commit several "pay to play" schemes, including attempting "to obtain personal gain ... through the corrupt use" of his authority to fill the United States Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama following his election as president, claiming that in wiretapped recordings Blagojevich discussed his desire to get something in exchange for an appointment to the seat. After various outreach efforts, he appointed former state attorney general Roland Burris on New Year's Eve 2008. Burris was seated after some initial opposition in mid-January 2009. A trial was set for June 3, 2010, and U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald spoke out on the charges, characterizing Blagojevich's actions as trying to auction the open seat off to "the highest bidder".


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: The Illinois House and Senate moved quickly to impeach the governor for abuse of power and corruption. On January 8, the Illinois House voted 114–1 (with three abstentions) to impeach Blagojevich. The charges brought by the House emphasized Blagojevich's alleged abuses of power and his alleged attempts to sell legislative authorizations and/or vetoes, and gubernatorial appointments including that of Obama's vacated Senate seat. Blagojevich was taped by the FBI saying "I've got this thing, and it's fucking golden. I'm just not giving it up for fucking nothing."


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: On January 27, 2009, Blagojevich began a media campaign planned by publicist Glenn Selig. During the two-day campaign, he visited "Today", "Good Morning America", "The Early Show", "The View", multiple programs on Fox News Channel, CNN and MSNBC where he proclaimed his innocence and insisted he would be vindicated.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: On January 29, 2009, Blagojevich was removed from office and prohibited from ever holding public office in the state of Illinois again, by two separate and unanimous votes of 59–0 by the Illinois Senate. His lieutenant governor Patrick Quinn subsequently became governor of Illinois. Blagojevich's impeachment trial and removal from office did not have any effect or bearing on his federal indictment in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, since impeachment is a political as opposed to a criminal sanction in addition to being (in this particular case) a punishment imposed at the state level.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: After being convicted and removed from office by the Illinois Senate, Blagojevich went on "Late Show with David Letterman" and "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart", where he re-affirmed his innocence and stated that the Illinois legislature's decision to remove him from office was politically motivated, being due to his unwillingness to raise taxes. He has accused his successor, Pat Quinn, of using state funds excessively for personal leisure. A report later released by the Governor's office showed that most of Quinn's transportation fees were paid for by himself and that Quinn never accepted the $32 meal allowance from the State.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich attempted to make a deal to star in NBC's 2009 summer reality show "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me out of Here!". He made a request with the judge to ease his travel restrictions so that he could travel to Costa Rica to star in the show, saying that his family needed to make money. However, his request was formally rejected by U.S. District Judge James B. Zagel, who was sympathetic to Blagojevich's financial situation, but nevertheless stated, "I don't think this defendant fully understands and I don't think he could understand ... the position he finds himself in." Judge Zagel went on further to note that Blagojevich must prepare for his defense. Despite the ruling, NBC expressed an interest in negotiating with the judge to have Blagojevich as a part of the show. His wife took his place on the show, which began airing June 1, 2009. He told an interviewer he found it difficult to watch his wife eat a dead tarantula on the broadcast, but remarked that her willingness to participate in the show was "an act of love" because she was earning funds to alleviate their adverse financial position.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: On June 13, 2009, Blagojevich starred in the improv group The Second City's musical "Rod Blagojevich Superstar". He performed in order to support the charity Gilda's Club Chicago, which offers support for people living with cancer.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: On June 30, 2009, Blagojevich's autobiography "The Governor: The Truth Behind the Political Scandal That Continues to Rock the Nation" was announced for print release on September 8, 2009. The book was also released by Amazon.com for sale as an eBook on the Kindle on the same day as the announcement.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: On July 19, 2009, Blagojevich began hosting a two-hour weekly radio talk show on 890 WLS, which aired mid-day Sundays. He had previously been a guest host of the "Don Wade and Roma Morning Show" on WLS in March 2009. On June 2, 2010, WLS placed Blagojevich's radio show on hiatus while his corruption trial was ongoing.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich appeared on season 9 of "The Celebrity Apprentice" in Spring 2010, asserting that he has the "skill and know-how to get things accomplished" on the series. Series star and producer Donald Trump praised Blagojevich's "tremendous courage and guts", and predicted that he would become one of the show's breakout stars. Trump subsequently fired Blagojevich in the fourth episode of the season, which aired April 4, 2010.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: In an interview with "Esquire" in January 2010, Blagojevich said about President Obama, "Everything he's saying's on the teleprompter. I'm blacker than Barack Obama. I shined shoes. I grew up in a five-room apartment. My father had a little laundromat in a black community not far from where he lived. I saw it all growing up." He soon backpedaled from the term "blacker than", saying that he had chosen his words poorly, but he stood by his message that "the frustration is real, and the frustration is still, today, average, ordinary people aren't getting a fair shake."


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich made an appearance at the Wizard World Chicago comic convention in August 2010, conversing with and taking pictures with attendees. He charged $50 for an autograph and $80 for a photo. He also had a humorous televised meeting with Adam West; Blagojevich remarked that he considered The Joker to be the best Batman foil. Comic fandom website "Bleeding Cool" reported that Blagojevich had met with a mostly positive reception, while "Time Out Chicago" described it as mixed.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2009. Most of the charges were related to attempts to sell the Senate seat vacated by then-President-elect Barack Obama. On August 17, 2010, he was convicted on one of the 24 federal charges, a charge of lying to the FBI, and the jury was hung on 23 other counts. The defense did not call a single witness, claiming that prosecutors did not prove their case. Because the jury could not agree on the remaining charges, a mistrial was ordered for those counts. Within 15 minutes after the mistrial was declared, the prosecution team announced that they would definitely pursue a retrial on the 23 mistrial counts. A post-verdict court date was set for August 23, 2010.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Federal prosecutors reduced the number of counts for Blagojevich's retrial, and on June 27, 2011, he was found guilty of 17 of the 20 remaining charges, not guilty on one, and no verdict was rendered by the jury on two counts. He was found guilty on all charges pertaining to the Senate seat, as well as extortion relating to state funds being directed towards a children's hospital and race track. However, he was acquitted on a charge pertaining to the tollway extortion and avoided a guilty verdict (by split decision) on attempting to extort Rahm Emanuel.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: He reported to prison on March 15, 2012, at Federal Correctional Institution, Englewood, Colorado. His Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) number was 40892–424. Had his sentence not been commuted by President Donald Trump, under federal rules, Blagojevich would have served at least 85%, or 12 years, of his sentence after which time he may have been eligible for early release in March 2024, based on good behavior. However, President Trump commuted his sentence so he was released on February 18, 2020.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: While in the federal penitentiary, Blagojevich was the lead singer for prison band called "The Jailhouse Rockers," named after an Elvis Presley song. The band dissolved when the lead guitarist was released.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: He was the fourth Illinois governor to serve time in federal prison, after Otto Kerner Jr., Dan Walker, and George Ryan.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich appealed his conviction, claiming judicial bias and a tainted jury pool. He has also long contended that there was critical evidence the jury never heard, including witness testimony and recorded phone calls that Judge Zagel did not allow to be played during the trial. They have also argued that Blagojevich's own testimony was restricted by Judge Zagel's rulings.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: In July 2013, Blagojevich filed an appeal with the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago challenging the corruption conviction and the length of his prison term. A three-judge panel of the Seventh Circuit heard arguments in the case in December 2013. In July 2015, the court unanimously vacated five of the corruption convictions, including his convictions for attempting to sell Barack Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat after he was elected president, but affirmed the rest. The court's decision remanded to the district court. The Seventh Circuit denied Blagojevich's request for rehearing "en banc", and in March 2016, the Supreme Court of the United States denied Blagojevich's petition for a writ of certiorari.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: In August 2016, a resentencing hearing was held in the district court. Judge Zagel re-imposed the same 14-year sentence he had imposed in 2011. Zagel acknowledged the suffering of Blagojevich's family and Blagojevich's good conduct in prison, but found that Blagojevich's corrupt conduct still warranted a 14-year sentence. Blagojevich's attorneys appealed to the 7th Circuit, but failed; then filed another appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court on November 3, 2017. Meanwhile, unrepentant, Blagojevich continued to fight his conviction and sentence in the media. His wife Patti joined him in attracting press attention to his cause and criticism of the federal judiciary. On April 16, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal, the second time in two years.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: President Donald Trump, hours after having pardoned commentator Dinesh D'Souza, told reporters on May 31, 2018, that he was considering commuting Blagojevich's sentence (without pardoning him), as well as pardoning Martha Stewart. Trump called Blagojevich's sentence "unfair", saying that Blagojevich's statements about enriching himself were "stupid", but also the sort of thing "that many other politicians say". Blagojevich filed a petition officially asking President Trump for commutation of sentence on June 5, 2018. In August 2019, Trump commented to reporters that he was "very strongly" considering issuing a commutation.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: On February 18, 2020, President Trump commuted Blagojevich's 14-year corruption sentence, wiping away the sentence but not the conviction. "I don't know him very well, I've met him a couple of times, he was on for a short time on "The Apprentice" years ago, seemed like a very nice person, don't know him, but he served eight years in jail, there's a long time to go," Trump said to reporters. Some news sources noted that, in addition to "The Apprentice" connection, Trump and his organization had made contributions to Blagojevich's political campaigns, including his 2002 gubernatorial campaign.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Blagojevich was released from prison that day, and flew home to Chicago that night. Speaking to reporters after his release, he stated, "I’m profoundly grateful to President Trump, and I will be for as long as I live." He said Trump was "a man who’s not only tough and outspoken, strong, but he has a kind heart", and proclaimed himself to be a "Trump-ocrat". On February 19, Blagojevich held a press conference at his home in Chicago's Ravenswood neighborhood, where he remained defiant towards his conviction, describing himself as a "political prisoner," and promised to use his experience in prison to fix the broken criminal justice system.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: Illinois House GOP leader Jim Durkin criticized the President's decision to commute Blagojevich's sentence, stating that Blagojevich was "rogue on steroids" when he "abused the office" and that Trump was "not concerned about the people of Illinois in November." The commutation was satirized by Chicago-based The Wieners Circle. Following the commutation, the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission found that Blagojevich had engaged in "a pattern of dishonest and deceptive conduct" and recommended his disbarment to the Illinois Supreme Court. On May 18, 2020, the Supreme Court of Illinois officially disbarred him.


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: In August of the same year, it was announced that Blagojevich would be the featured speaker at a fundraising event to benefit Republican state senate candidate Tom McCullagh. The candidate's campaign stated that "McCullagh is welcoming [Blagojevich] to the table to give us an inside look to help understand the depths of the Madigan machine and how to end corruption in Illinois."


title: Rod Blagojevich

text: In May 2020, Blagojevich launched a politics-themed podcast entitled "The Lightning Rod" on WLS-AM 890.


title: AGM-65 Maverick

text: The AGM-65 Maverick is an air-to-ground missile (AGM) designed for close air support. It is the most widely produced precision-guided missile in the Western world, and is effective against a wide range of tactical targets, including armor, air defenses, ships, ground transportation and fuel storage facilities.


title: AGM-65 Maverick

text: Development began in 1966 at Hughes Aircraft Company as the first missile to use an electronic contrast seeker. It entered service with the United States Air Force in August 1972. Since then, it has been exported to more than 30 countries and is certified on 25 aircraft. The Maverick served during the Vietnam, Yom Kippur, Iran–Iraq, and Persian Gulf Wars, along with other smaller conflicts, destroying enemy forces and installations with varying degrees of success.


title: AGM-65 Maverick

text: Since its introduction into service, numerous Maverick versions had been designed and produced using electro-optical, laser, and imaging infrared guidance systems. The AGM-65 has two types of warhead: one has a contact fuze in the nose, the other has a heavyweight warhead fitted with a delayed-action fuze, which penetrates the target with its kinetic energy before detonating. The missile is currently produced by Raytheon Missiles & Defense.


title: AGM-65 Maverick

text: The Maverick shares the same configuration as Hughes' AIM-4 Falcon and AIM-54 Phoenix, and measures more than in length and in diameter.


title: AGM-65 Maverick

text: The Maverick's development history began in 1965, when the United States Air Force (USAF) began a program to develop a replacement to the AGM-12 Bullpup. With a range of , the radio-guided Bullpup was introduced in 1959 and was considered a "silver bullet" by operators. However, the launch aircraft was required to fly straight towards the target during the missile's flight instead of performing evasive maneuvers, thus endangering itself. Even when it hit, the small warhead was only useful against small targets like bunkers; when used against larger targets like the Thanh Hóa Bridge it did little more than char the structure. The USAF began a series of projects to replace Bullpup, both larger versions of Bullpup, models C and D, as well as a series of Bullpup adaptations offering fire-and-forget guidance. Among the latter were the AGM-83 Bulldog, AGM-79 Blue Eye and AGM-80 Viper.


title: AGM-65 Maverick

text: From 1966 to 1968, Hughes Missile Systems Division and Rockwell competed for the contract to build an entirely new fire-and-forget missile with far greater range performance than any of the Bullpup versions. Each were allocated $3 million for preliminary design and engineering work of the Maverick in 1966. In 1968, Hughes emerged with the $95 million contract for further development and testing of the missile; at the same time, contract options called for 17,000 missiles to be procured. Hughes conducted a smooth development of the AGM-65 Maverick, with the first unguided test launch from an F-4 on 18 September 1969, with the first guided test on 18 December successfully performing a direct hit on a M41 tank target at the Air Force Missile Development Center at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico.


title: AGM-65 Maverick

text: In July 1971, the USAF and Hughes signed a $69.9 million contract for 2,000 missiles, the first of which was delivered in 1972. Although early operational results were favorable, military planners predicted that the Maverick would fare less successfully in the hazy conditions of Central Europe, where it would have been used against Warsaw Pact forces. As such, development of the AGM-65B "Scene Magnified" version began in 1975 before it was delivered during the late 1970s. When production of the AGM-65A/B was ended in 1978, more than 35,000 missiles had been built.


title: AGM-65 Maverick

text: More versions of the Maverick appeared, among which was the laser-guided AGM-65C/E. Development of the AGM-65C started in 1978 by Rockwell, who built a number of development missiles for the USAF. Due to high cost, the version was not procured by the USAF, and instead entered service with the United States Marine Corps (USMC) as the AGM-65E.


title: AGM-65 Maverick

text: Another major development was the AGM-65D, which employed an imaging infrared (IIR) seeker. By imaging on radiated heat, the IIR is all-weather operable as well as showing improved performance in acquiring and tracking the hot engines, such as in tanks and trucks, that were to be one of its major missions. The seekerhead mechanically scanned the scene over a nitrogen-cooled 4-by-4 pixel array using a series of mirrored facets machined into the inner surface of the ring-shaped main gyroscope. The five-year development period of the AGM-65D started in 1977 and ended with the first delivery to the USAF in October 1983. The version received initial operating capability in February 1986.


title: AGM-65 Maverick

text: The AGM-65F is a hybrid Maverick combining the AGM-65D's IIR seeker and warhead and propulsion components of the AGM-65E. Deployed by the United States Navy (USN), the AGM-65F is optimized for maritime strike roles. The first AGM-65F launch from the P-3C took place in 1989, and in 1994, the USN awarded Unisys a contract to integrate the version with the P-3C. Meanwhile, Hughes produced the AGM-65G, which essentially has the same guidance system as the D, with some software modifications that track larger targets.


title: AGM-65 Maverick

text: In the mid-1990s to early 2000s, there were several ideas of enhancing the Maverick's potential. Among them was the stillborn plan to incorporate the Maverick millimeter wave active radar homing, which can determine the exact shape of a target. Another study called "Longhorn Project" was conducted by Hughes, and later Raytheon following the absorption of Hughes into Raytheon, looked a Maverick version equipped with turbojet engines instead of rocket motors. The "Maverick ER", as it was dubbed, would have a "significant increase in range" compared to the Maverick's current range of . The proposal was abandoned, but if the Maverick ER had entered production, it would have replaced the AGM-119B Penguin carried on the MH-60R.


title: AGM-65 Maverick

text: The most modern versions of the Maverick are the AGM-65H/K, which were in production . The AGM-65H was developed by coupling the AGM-65B with a charge-coupled device (CCD) seeker optimized for desert operations and which has three times the range of the original TV-sensor; a parallel USN program aimed at rebuilding AGM-65Fs with newer CCD seekers resulted in the AGM-65J. The AGM-65K, meanwhile, was developed by replacing the AGM-65G's IR guidance system with an electro-optical television guidance system.


title: AGM-65 Maverick

text: The Maverick has a modular design, allowing for different combinations of the guidance package and warhead to be attached to the rocket motor to produce a different weapon. It has long-chord delta wings and a cylindrical body, reminiscent of the AIM-4 Falcon and the AIM-54 Phoenix.


title: AGM-65 Maverick

text: Different models of the AGM-65 have used electro-optical, laser, and imaging infrared guidance systems. The AGM-65 has two types of warhead: one has a contact fuze in the nose, the other has a heavyweight warhead fitted with a delayed-action fuze, which penetrates the target with its kinetic energy before detonating. The latter is most effective against large, hard targets. The propulsion system for both types is a solid-fuel rocket motor behind the warhead.


title: AGM-65 Maverick

text: The Maverick missile is unable to lock onto targets on its own; it has to be given input by the pilot or weapon systems officer after which it follows the path to the target autonomously. In an A-10 Thunderbolt II, for example, the video feed from the seeker head is relayed to a screen in the cockpit, where the pilot can check the locked target of the missile before launch. A crosshair on the heads-up display is shifted by the pilot to set the approximate target, where the missile will then automatically recognize and lock on to the target. Once the missile is launched, it requires no further assistance from the launch vehicle and tracks its target automatically. This fire-and-forget property is not shared by the E version that uses semi-active laser homing.


title: AGM-65 Maverick

text: The Maverick was declared operational on 30 August 1972 with the F-4D/Es and A-7s initially cleared for the type; the missile made its combat debut four months later with the USAF in Operation Linebacker II, the last major USAF operation of the Vietnam War. During the Yom Kippur War in October 1973, the Israelis used Mavericks to destroy and disable enemy vehicles. Deployment of early versions of the Mavericks in these two wars were successful due to the favorable atmospheric conditions that suited the electro-optical TV seeker. Ninety-nine missiles were fired during the two wars, eighty-four of which were successful..


title: AGM-65 Maverick

text: The Maverick was used for trials with the BGM-34A unmanned aerial vehicle in 1972–1973. Targeting could be carried out with a TV camera in the nose of the UAV or using the seeker of an AGM-45 Shrike anti-radar missile also carried by the UAV to locate the target for the Maverick's camera to lock on to.


title: AGM-65 Maverick

text: In June 1975, during a border confrontation, a formation of Iranian F-4E Phantoms destroyed a group of Iraqi tanks by firing 12 Mavericks at them. Five years later, during Operation Morvarid as part of the Iran–Iraq War, Iranian F-4s used Mavericks to sink three Osa II missile boats and four P-6 combat ships.


title: AGM-65 Maverick

text: Due to weapons embargoes, Iran had to equip its AH-1J SeaCobra helicopters with AGM-65 Maverick missiles and used them with some success in various operations such as Operation Fath ol-Mobin wherein Iranian AH-1Js fired 11 Mavericks.


title: AGM-65 Maverick

text: In August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. In early 1991, the US-led Coalition executed Operation Desert Storm during which Mavericks played a crucial role in the ousting of Iraqi forces from Kuwait. Employed by F-15E Strike Eagles, F/A-18 Hornets, AV-8B Harriers, F-16 Fighting Falcons and A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, but used mainly by the last two, more than 5,000 Mavericks were used to attack armored targets. The most-used variant by the USAF was the IIR-guided AGM-65D. The reported hit rate by USAF Mavericks was 80–90%, while for the USMC it was 60%. The Maverick was used again in Iraq during the 2003 Iraq War, during which 918 were fired.


title: AGM-65 Maverick

text: The first time the Maverick were fired from a Lockheed P-3 Orion at a hostile vessel was when the USN and coalition units came to the aid of Libyan rebels to engage the Libyan Coast Guard vessel "Vittoria" in the port of Misrata, Libya, during the late evening of 28 March 2011. "Vittoria" was engaged and fired upon by a USN P-3C Maritime Patrol aircraft with AGM-65 Maverick missiles.


title: AGM-65 Maverick

text: LAU-117 Maverick launchers have been used on US Army, USN, USAF, and USMC aircraft (some platforms may load LAU-88 triple-rail launchers when configured and authorized):


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: The Chevrolet Cruze is a compact car that is produced by General Motors since 2008. It was designated as a globally developed, designed, and manufactured four-door compact sedan, complemented by a five-door hatchback body variant from 2011, and a station wagon in 2012. During its introduction, the Cruze replaces several compact models, including the Chevrolet Optra which was sold internationally under various names, the Chevrolet Cobalt sold exclusively in North America, and the -market Holden Astra.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: The Cruze was released in 2008 for the South Korean market as the Daewoo Lacetti Premiere until the phasing out of the Daewoo brand in 2011, when it was renamed to Chevrolet Cruze. In , the model was sold between 2009 and 2016 as the Holden Cruze. In 2016, the Cruze sedan was restyled and renamed for the market as the Holden Astra Sedan, as a sedan complement to the Holden Astra family.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: Due to the market shift towards SUVs and decreasing sales, the Cruze has been gradually phased out. Production of the Cruze in South Korea ended in 2018 as part of restructuring of GM Korea, which in turn ceased supply of the Holden Astra Sedan to . In the United States and Mexico, production ended in 2019, while production in China ended in 2020. , the Cruze continued to be produced in Argentina. It was replaced by the Monza in China, which is known as the Cavalier in Mexico.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: Previously, the nameplate has been used for a version of a subcompact hatchback car produced under a joint venture with Suzuki from 2001 to 2007, and was based on the Suzuki Ignis.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: Before the release of the global Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan in 2008, General Motors made use of the name "Cruze" between 2001 and 2008 in Japan, Australia (as Holden Cruze), and New Zealand. Announced as the Chevrolet YGM1 concept car at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1999, the original Cruze was derived from the subcompact Suzuki Ignis five-door hatchback (known as the Suzuki Swift in Japan). Despite the Chevrolet branding, the YGM1, like the production car, was the work of GM's Australian arm, Holden. Along with the styling, Holden executed most of the engineering work and were responsible for devising the "Cruze" nameplate. The Cruze came either with a 1.3- or 1.5-liter engine coupled to either five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmissions.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: Manufactured by Suzuki in Japan, GM revealed the production Chevrolet Cruze in October 2001, with Japanese sales commencing the following month. From 2002 through to 2006 this generation of Cruze was sold in Australia (as Holden) and New Zealand (as Chevrolet).


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: The production Cruze had standard front-wheel drive, with all-wheel drive optional. Chevrolet pursued a marketing strategy that positioned the high-riding Cruze as a light-duty sport utility vehicle (SUV). This contrasted with Suzuki's approach with the Ignis marketed as a conventional passenger model. From 2003, Suzuki of Europe began manufacturing the Cruze as the Suzuki Ignis—representing a facelift of the original Ignis, but only for European markets.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: In 2008, GM introduced the Cruze compact car, carrying the "J300" internal designation. Mainly developed by GM Korea, this J300 iteration serves as a replacement for the Chevrolet Cobalt, Daewoo Lacetti and Holden Astra compact cars. GM phased out production of the Cobalt and its badge engineered counterpart, the Pontiac G5 in 2010, just prior to the manufacturing of the Chevrolet Cruze was to commence. The first renderings of the Cruze were revealed by GM at a press conference on July 15, 2008, with the first official images released on August 21, 2008.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: At the ceremony of the start of production of Cruze at Ohio, Mark Reuss, the president of GM's North American operations said, "This is everything for us". It is described as GM's most significant new vehicle introduction into North America since the Chapter 11 reorganization in 2009, and is GM's latest attempt to build a small size car that North American consumers would "buy because they like it – not simply because it is cheap".


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: Underpinned by the front-wheel drive GM Delta II platform, GM has confirmed the Cruze development program occurred under a global design and engineering team. GM Daewoo in South Korea played a leading role in the design and engineering of the Cruze, along with GM's German-based Opel division. This development program spanned over 27 months at a cost of US$4 billion. A total of 221 prototypes were tested in Australia, Canada, China, South Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: According to GM, the Cruze's body structure is 65 percent high-strength steel. MacPherson struts are utilized in the front suspension with a solid torsion beam axle for the rear, avoiding the cost and complexity needed for a modern multi-link independent rear suspension used by some more expensive rivals.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: According to GM's global product development chief Mark Reuss, the North America version Cruze is modified from the global platform as it requires reinforcements to the engine compartment because it offers a bigger engine than in other markets and uses torsion beam suspension.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: Hydraulically-assisted (electric for North American market) rack and pinion steering gives for a turning circle. Braking-wise, ventilated front, and solid rear disc brakes are employed, both using piston steel calipers. To counteract noise, vibration, and harshness, engineers have designed the Cruze with an isolated four-point engine mount and implemented sound damping material in areas including the front-of-dashboard panel, luggage compartment, decklid internals, doors, carpet and headlining. Further noise suppression through the use of a triple-layer sealing system in the doors has also been employed.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: A five-door Cruze hatchback was unveiled as a concept car at the 2010 Paris Motor Show on October 1, 2010. Cruze hatchback sales began in Europe in mid-2011. Holden in Australia were responsible for the design and development of the hatchback body variant.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: GM unveiled the Chevrolet Cruze station wagon in February 2012 at the Geneva Motor Show. Load space ranges from about up to the window line in the rear, to nearly up to the roof top with the rear seats folded down.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: Cruze production sites include Gunsan, Jeonbuk, South Korea; Saint Petersburg, Russia; Shenyang, China; and Halol, India; Hanoi, Vietnam since April 2010 in complete knock-down (CKD) form, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan from May 2010; Rayong, Thailand after December 2010, and São Caetano do Sul, Brazil from 2011. Holden's localized hatchback version of the Cruze built at the Elizabeth, South Australia factory from late 2011 joined the Cruze sedan manufactured there since March 2011. GM in the United States has upgraded the existing plant in Lordstown, Ohio to manufacture the Cruze, investing more than .


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) in May 2009 awarded the Cruze five out of five stars in their crash safety test, with 35.04 out of a possible 37 points. The following July, the China New Car Assessment Program (C-NCAP) awarded the Cruze five out of five stars in their test. The Cruze SE 1.6-liter tested scored 16 points in side-impact collision, 14.44 in front-end collision, and 15.73 in the 40 percent frontal offset collision. Euro NCAP graded the Cruze at five out of five stars as well—96 percent for adult protection, and 84 percent for child occupant protection, though the rating for pedestrian protection was a much lower 34 percent. The South Korean-specification Cruze—the Daewoo Lacetti Premiere—received the top rating of five stars in the Korean New Car Assessment Program's (KNCAP) frontal, offset frontal, side, and whiplash tests.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: The Cruze in its most basic Latin American version received 4 stars for adult occupants and 3 stars for infants from Latin NCAP in 2011.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: In the United States, the Cruze received the highest possible ratings of "good" in front moderate overlap, side, rear and rollover crash protection tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), who listed the Cruze as a 2011 "Top Safety Pick". The Cruze received a "marginal" rating in the small overlap test. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the Cruze the agency's highest five-star safety rating, based on its score for frontal impact (driver and passenger), side impact (driver and passenger), and for the side pole test (driver). NHTSA graded the Cruze at four out of five stars for rollover safety performance.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: According to Consumer Reports, during its first year, the Cruze scored the lowest in reliability among compact sedans.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: GM announced in April 2011 that 2,100 Cruzes in North America would be recalled following a report of the steering wheel breaking away from the steering column during motion.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: On June 22, 2012, GM issued a recall for 413,418 Cruzes manufactured at the Lordstown, Ohio plant, to address a risk of engine compartment fires. The recall covered 2011 and 2012 models built from September 2010 through May 2012 and affected vehicles sold in the United States, Canada, and Israel. The fire hazard arose from the possibility of fluids becoming trapped near the engine and catching fire. 9,547 Australian-built Cruzes were also recalled for this reason, though no engine fires were reported in Australia.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: GM issued another recall on August 16, 2013 for 2011 and 2012-model Cruzes—292,879 cars built at the Lordstown plant—to address a potential loss of power brake assist, due to a faulty microswitch in the power brake vacuum pipe assembly of Cruzes with the 1.4-liter engine and the 6T40 automatic transaxle. GM stated awareness of 27 low-speed crashes due to brake issues that might have involved this fault.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: On March 28, 2014, GM halted sales of 2013- and 2014-model Cruzes with 1.4-liter engines (about 60% of Cruzes), initially without stating a reason for the stop-sale order; subsequently GM disclosed that the issue was a faulty right-side axle shaft.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: The Cruze was given a mild facelift for 2013, unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. There was a new front fascia with redesigned air vents around the fog lamps, and the grille and headlamps also received minor updates. New alloy wheels were offered, and GM's optional MyLink entertainment system became available. This model was first sold in South Korea, then Malaysia, then in other markets.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: On April 12, 2014 at the New York International Auto Show, Chevrolet announced a refreshed 2015-model Cruze with an updated grille and a more angular shape similar to that of the Malibu. For Asian markets, the car's rear end was restyled with new lamps, trunk lid, and bumper; the Chinese version also got a market-specific redesigned front end. The rear end in other markets remained unchanged.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: Engines fitted to the Cruze are the 1.6-liter "Family 1" inline-four, a 1.8-liter version of the same, and a 2.0-liter VM Motori "RA 420 SOHC" turbocharged common rail diesel, marketed as "VCDi". All three engines are coupled to a five-speed manual or optional six-speed automatic transmission featuring "Active Select". When the Cruze launched in the United States in 2010, a new 1.4-liter "Family 0" turbocharged gasoline engine was introduced. North American models fitted with the 1.8-liter gasoline engine have also been upgraded to a standard six-speed manual.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: In 2011, a new 2.0-liter "Family Z" diesel engine marketed as "VCDi" replaced the previous VM Motori "VCDi" unit of equal displacement.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: Since late 2011, Chinese market models have been available with a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine with a six-speed manual transmission.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: The Chevrolet Cruze was launched in the Egyptian market during mid-2009. South African sales of the Cruze commenced in September 2009.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: South Korean-market versions of the Cruze entered production there in 2008 as the "Daewoo Lacetti Premiere". The Lacetti debuted on October 30, 2008, featuring the 1.6-liter naturally aspirated engine. On January 30, 2009, GM Daewoo introduced the turbodiesel engine variant. Inline with the February 2011 renaming of "GM Daewoo" to "GM Korea", the Lacetti Premiere adopted the international "Chevrolet Cruze" name from March 2, 2011. For the owners of the previous model, Lacetti, GM Korea decided to replace the old emblem to that of Chevrolet for free.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: The Chevrolet Cruze was launched in the Chinese market on April 18, 2009 as a sedan manufactured at GM India's Halol factory. Transmission choices were a five-speed manual or a six-speed automatic along with 1.6- or 1.8-liter engines. The sedan range consisted of the 1.6 SL, 1.6 SE, 1.8 SE (automatic only) and 1.8 SX (automatic only). Hatchback models were introduced in 2013 available with the 1.6-liter or 1.6-liter turbo engines.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: The Chevrolet Cruze was released in India on October 12, 2009. It was offered in only two versions: LT and LTZ in diesel form only ("VCDi").


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: During 2009, there were reports that the Cruze was to become available in Malaysia with the 1.6 and a 1.8-liter engines. The Naza automotive group in Malaysia has announced that it's expecting to launch the Cruze in the Malaysian market for the first time in the second quarter of 2010 and they are expecting to sell 1,200 to 1,500 units in 2010.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: In Thailand, the car launch in December 2010, built at GM's Rayong facility. Specification levels comprised: Base (1.6-liter), LS (1.6- and 1.8-liter), LT and LTZ (1.8-liter), 6-speed automatic are standard in all models except 1.6 Base used 5-speed manual, with an optional 2.0-liter "VCDi" available on LTZ variant with 6-speed automatic.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: In the Philippines, the Cruze replaced the aging Optra in 2010. The Cruze came in 3 different variants; the entry-level "1.8L" the mid-range "1.8LS" & the top-spec "1.8LT". All variants are powered by Chevrolet's 1.8L inline-four ECOTEC engine coupled to a 5-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission (LS & LT variants only) with manual mode (LT variant). The "LS" featured three-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel, fabric seats, 6-disc 6-speakers audio system with MP3 playback & USB connectivity, keyless entry, immobilizer, automatic climate controls, ABS, dual front & side airbags among other features. The "LT" variant featured upgraded leather seats & 17-inch alloy wheels.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: By 2011, Chevrolet introduced the "2.0LT VCDi" variant powered by a 2.0L CRDi diesel engine paired to a standard 6-speed automatic transmission with manual mode. It featured a proximity key with start/stop button. In 2014, Chevrolet launched a redesigned Cruze which featured a different frontend.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: Holden announced at the Melbourne International Motor Show on February 27, 2009 that sales of the South Korean-produced Cruze would begin under the Holden brand. Replacing the Holden Viva, the Cruze reached dealerships on June 1, 2009. The Cruze hatchback also became the replacement for the Holden Astra, dropped from the Holden lineup the following August. Given the model designation "JG", the Holden Cruze was launched with the 1.8-liter petrol engine and optional 2.0-liter turbodiesel. Both engines are mated to the five-speed manual transmission or optional six-speed automatic.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: On March 18, 2010, Holden issued a recall for 9,098 petrol-engined 2010 model year Cruzes in Australia and a further 485 in New Zealand over a faulty fuel hose. According to Holden, some hoses on 1.8-liter cars had developed a leakage, although no accidents or injuries had been reported prior to the recall. The recall followed a stop-delivery notice issued by Holden to its dealers on March 3 while the automaker conducted an investigation into the matter.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: Holden announced on December 22, 2008 that its Elizabeth, South Australia production line would be split to commence local production of the Cruze sedan and the Australian-developed hatchback. Production was originally scheduled to start by September 2010. However, it was confirmed in January 2010 that production would begin in March 2011. The announcement to assemble the car came as a response to the slowing sales of the larger, locally produced Commodore range. The Australian Government committed 149 million to the program from its $6.2 billion "Green Car Innovation Fund", with a further $30 million given by the State Government of South Australia.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: On February 28, 2011, Holden unveiled the Australian assembled Cruze sedan in facelifted "Series II" guise, otherwise known as the "JH" series. Prime Minister Julia Gillard attended the February launch to drive the first example off Holden's production line before full-scale production commenced in March. Holden has confirmed an initial local content level of between 40 and 50 percent if assessed by retail value, with an aim of increasing Cruze localization over time. Series II styling revisions to the grille, lower air intake, and bumper have softened the front-end to bear a closer resemblance to Holden's larger VE II Commodore. Further differentiation from the original has been achieved via the fitment of amber front indicator lights, jewelled bezel headlamps, remodelled wheel trims, and through adjustments to the lower portion of the rear bumper. Carrying over largely unchanged is the 1.8-liter petrol inline-four, tweaked to yield slight enhancements in drivability. The 1.8-liter automatic is teamed with GM's six-speed "6T30" unit, lighter and more compact than the previous "6T40". Diesel remains optional for "CD" and "CDX" specifications over the standard 1.8-liter petrol. Alterations to the 2.0-liter turbodiesel have resulted in an additional and and a slight reduction in fuel consumption for the manual variant, now a six-speed unit. However, the headline change was the release of the turbocharged 1.4-liter engine, dubbed "iTi" by Holden for "intelligent turbo induction". The inclusion of the 1.4 also brings an upgrade to electric (as opposed to hydraulic) power steering and affixes a Watt's linkage to the torsion beam rear suspension.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: In mid-November 2011, Holden released the MY12 update to the Series II Cruze. This update coincided with the release of the hatchback body variant and saw Bluetooth telephone connectivity standard across the range. In April 2013, the Series II Cruze received an update and price drops along with many other new extras such as a larger 1.6-liter turbocharged engine as standard on the SRi and SRi-V, replacing the 1.4-liter turbo.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: Holden ended manufacturing of the Cruze at its Elizabeth plant on October 7, 2016, replaced by the Astra hatchback and a restyled version of the second-generation Cruze sedan, renamed to Astra Sedan.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: European specification variants of the Cruze are offered with 1.6- and 1.8-litre petrol engines, and 2.0-litre and (from 2012) 1.7-litre diesel engines. In mid-2011, with the arrival of the five-door hatchback variant, the 1.6-litre petrol engine received an upgrade from 113 bhp to 122 bhp. Exports from the South Korean factory began on February 24, 2009.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: Mexico became the first North American country to receive the car, going on sale for the 2010 model year in late 2009. Imported from South Korea, the Chevrolet Cruze in Mexico replaces both the Chevrolet Astra (last sold in 2008) and Optra as the compact offering there.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: The US and Canadian version of the Chevrolet Cruze entered limited production at Lordstown, Ohio, in July 2010 as a 2011 model, replacing the Chevrolet Cobalt. Full production began September 8, 2010. For these markets, the Cruze utilizes a more advanced Watts Z-link rear suspension from the Opel Astra (J). Offered in LS, LT, LTZ and Eco trim levels, both the 1.8-liter and the turbocharged 1.4-liter engines are offered, coupled with either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. With a starting price slightly higher than most compact competitors, the base model Cruze LS is equipped with the 1.8-liter gasoline engine and comes with air-conditioning and power locks, the higher-level LT and LTZ models is fitted with the 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline engine. For the Eco model, aerodynamic improvements have been made such as an electronically controlled air shutter that adjusts air flow to the engine depending on the temperature, wind speed and tow weight. To save weight, Chevrolet replaces the space saving spare tire and jack on the Eco model with a tire inflator kit, reducing weight by .


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: Standard safety equipment includes electronic stability control and ten airbags, including side rear-seat and front knee airbags not fitted on models produced in the original South Korea facility. The Cobalt's badge engineered twin, the Pontiac G5, has not been replaced by a Cruze-based equivalent, due to the Pontiac brand being phased out during 2010. The Cruze was built on the production lines that were used to build the Cobalt and Pontiac G5 in Lordstown, Ohio. Cobalt production ended in June 2010 and the Cruze started production in July 2010. GM has allocated three shifts to produce the Cruze and it arrived to dealers in September 2010, giving all dealers time to deplete their inventories of Cobalts.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: Changes to the North American-built Cruze for model year 2012 include the availability of the six-speed manual transmission for the 1.4-litre turbocharged engine, plus models not equipped with power front seats no longer have the front seat cushion tilt option.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: Starting with the 2014 model year, Chevrolet offered the Cruze with the clean diesel engine option for North America. With a starting price of $25,695, the Cruze diesel 2.0-liter "Multijet" engine got 44 mpg on the highway and 27 mpg in the city, while producing and , mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. The 2014 Chevy Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel, direct from the factory, will be rated for up to B20 (blend of 20% biodiesel / 80% regular diesel) biodiesel compatibility.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: The Cruze diesel was the first GM passenger car in the US equipped with a diesel engine in 28 years, however sales were weaker than expected with 2% of US models.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: For 2016, the first generation Cruze continued as a fleet and rental exclusive model in the United States, billed as Cruze Limited. The diesel model was discontinued, but a new chrome appearance package was offered.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: The second-generation Cruze began sales in North America in early 2016, delayed a year by engineering changes. The Cruze has a new external design with a new split grille front and a fastback-like sloping roofline from the Chinese version of the fastback. It is also powered by the 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing and torque.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: The 2016 Cruze comes equipped with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Capability features. However, only one of their phone brands at any one time can be used.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: In January 2016, Chevrolet unveiled the five-door hatchback version of the North American Cruze at the North American International Auto Show. It went on sale in late 2016 as a 2017 model.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: Trim levels continue to be L, LS, LT (now combined into one trim level, as opposed to the previous 1LT and 2LT designations), and Premier (replacing the previous LTZ trim level as the top-of-the-line Cruze trim level). Discontinued are the Eco and Diesel trim levels. All trim levels is equipped with a 1.4-liter EcoTec inline-four engine. Higher trim levels (LT and Premier) also offer features such as the "RS Sport Package".


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: The base L only offers a six-speed manual transmission, while the Premier, on the other end of the spectrum, offers only a six-speed automatic transmission. The LS and LT trim levels offer either a six-speed manual transmission, or a six-speed automatic transmission.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: A new diesel-powered Cruze became available in 2017. It uses the 1.6-liter turbo-diesel also found in the 2018 Equinox, paired to either a nine-speed automatic or six-speed manual transmission.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: For 2019, the Cruze received a mid-cycle facelift, which made its debut in April 2018, along with restyled versions of the 2019 Camaro, Spark and Malibu. Changes for the Cruze for 2019 include the addition of a lower-priced LS model for the Cruze Hatchback, the deletion of the six-speed manual transmission option (all Cruze models, including the previous manual-only L, will come equipped with an automatic transmission), all-new third-generation MyLink Systems, and a revised RS Package for LT and Premier models. The 2019 Cruze went on sale in November 2018.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: Before launching the Chevrolet Cruze as the Holden Astra in Australia, Holden engineers performed 100,000 kilometres of suspension and steering testing at the Lang Lang Proving Ground south east of Melbourne, Australia, tuning for Australian roads. A firmer more compliant ride and more responsive steering tune is the result. Other major changes over the international model included revised front and rear bumpers, which aim to give it a similar look to the Holden Astra Hatch.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: Unlike the hatchback version, the sedan was offered in LS, LS+, LT and LTZ trim levels. All models are powered by a turbocharged direct injection engine with a power of at 5,600 rpm and torque of at 1,600–4,000 rpm mated to a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: The Cruze in its most basic Latin American configuration with 4 airbags and ESC received 4 stars for adult occupants and 4 stars for infants frrom Latin NCAP in 2018 (one level above from 2010-2015).


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: A further improved Cruze in its most basic Latin American configuration with 6 airbags and ESC received 5 stars for adult occupants and 4 stars for infants frrom Latin NCAP in 2019.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: The new model was first announced for the Chinese market at the 2014 Beijing Auto Show and went on sale in August 2014. Based on the D2XX platform and designed by SAIC-GM, the Cruze J400 CN only sold for 2 years before the release of the international Cruze J400.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: The four-door sedan has a fastback-like sloping roofline and a low drag coefficient of 0.28 comes with a choice of a turbocharged direct injection engine with a power of at 5,600 rpm and torque of at 1,600–4,000 rpm, which can be mated with a six-speed manual transmission or seven-speed Start/Stop enabled dual-clutch gearbox, or a direct injection engine with a power of at 5,600 rpm and torque of at 6,000 rpm mated to a six-speed Start/Stop-capable automatic transmission. Both engines come from the new GM Small Gasoline Engine family. Weight reduction of 10% is achieved by using very high-strength steels and aluminum alloys. Watt's link torsion beam rear suspension, first used on the Opel Astra (J), comes as standard. The car comes equipped with a 4.2" color screen radio or MyLink 2.0 infotainment system with an 8" screen, and can be configured with OnStar Gen10 offering 4G LTE Internet connection with a built-in Wi-Fi hotspot.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: Mules of the Chinese version of the Cruze were spied in the United States with a different front fascia.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: Production of the D2LC-K Cruze ended in South Korea in July 2018, and in the US and Mexico in March 2019. The Lordstown assembly plant was closed and sold to Lordstown Motors, while Ramos Arizpe Assembly will build the Chevrolet Blazer instead.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: Assembly of the Chevrolet Cruze Sedan at Lordstown Assembly in Lordstown, Ohio concluded on Wednesday, March 6, 2019, when the last car rolled off of the assembly line. Assembly plant workers at the plant wrote inspiring messages on the unfinished body underneath the paint, as well as signed one of the foam front seat cushions underneath the upholstery. GM turned down an offer from Cleveland automotive dealer owner Bernie Moreno to keep the plant open and continue building the Cruze under a five-year deal, which he hoped would be used to launch a ridesharing service featuring a fleet of Cruzes with two shifts under Moreno's direction.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: Production in China ended in February 2020, following stronger sales of the Chevrolet Monza in that market. This leaves Argentina as the sole remaining producer of the Cruze, for the Latin American market. In 2016, this plant was the subject of three one-hour episodes of "Mega Fábricas" from Nat Geo. 740 million USD were invested in this factory to produce the Cruze, including 250 to make its engine. Flex-fuel engines are exported to Brazil and CNG versions used to be exported to the UK, where a plant producing Opel/Vauxhall (sold since to PSA) is located. The Cruze is the only C-segment hatchback/sedan made in Argentina. In 2021, the unit number 150,000 was produced there.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: Unlike its Chevrolet predecessors for the U.S. market—Cavalier, Prizm, and Cobalt—or its Daewoo predecessors for the South Korean market—Espero, Nexia, Nubira, and Lacetti—the Cruze has been discontinued without any announcement or plans for a replacement. The second-generation Cruze "was not [considered] a particularly standout product in an extremely competitive segment" against similar offerings from well-established and highly-attractive rivals from Japan, and South Korea such as the Honda Civic, the Toyota Corolla, and the Hyundai Elantra.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: The Chevrolet Cruze first entered the World Touring Car Championship in 2009 with a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engine, taking six wins in its debut season. The car has proved successful since its entry, with Yvan Muller winning the championship in 2010 and again in 2011 using the new 1.6-litre turbocharged engine. Chevrolet placed first, second and third in 2011, with Muller finishing ahead of teammates Rob Huff and Alain Menu. Chevrolet finished 1–2–3 again in 2012, this time, Huff becoming champion ahead of Menu and Muller.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: The Cruze also entered the British Touring Car Championship for 2010 and 2011. Jason Plato won the championship for Chevrolet in 2010 and finished 3rd in 2011. The BTCC Cruze used the 2.0-liter naturally aspirated engine found in the original variant of the WTCC Cruze.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: The Cruze won the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship in 2011, being run by NIKA Racing under the banner of 'Chevrolet Motorsport Sweden' with Rickard Rydell driving. Rydell and teammate Michel Nykjær finished second and third in 2012.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: Chevrolet pulled their sponsorship at the end of 2011 from the BTCC to support the Chevrolet team in the World Touring Car Championship for 2012. Chevrolet then announced they would not enter a works team for the 2013 WTCC season. For 2013 RML, the original builders of the Cruzes, continued to compete without the support of Chevrolet. Cars were also entered by Bamboo Engineering, NIKA Racing and Tuenti Racing Team. Despite no funding from the manufacturer, the Cruze remained the car to beat, even against works teams from Honda and Lada. Muller won his fourth WTCC title, his third in a Cruze and James Nash won the Yokohama Drivers' Trophy for independent entries, ahead of fellow Cruze drivers Alex MacDowall and Michel Nykjær.


title: Chevrolet Cruze

text: RML have confirmed they will build Cruzes to the new set of WTCC regulations for 2014, which sees the cars increase in power and feature greater aerodynamics. RML aim to build up to six cars. Confirmed recipients include Tom Chilton who has yet to announce a team to run his car, Bamboo Engineering who will run two cars and Campos Racing who will enter a car for Hugo Valente.