General Motors said the new compact car to be built at its plant in Lordstown, Ohio, will be called the Cruze.

Union officials said they hope the vehicle will keep production going at the northeast Ohio plant for years to come.

Chevrolet's Cruze will be shown for the first time in October at the Paris Auto Show. The Cruze will be available in European markets in spring 2009, followed by other global regions.

It's set for production at Lordstown in the summer of 2010.

GM hasn't released many details about the Cruze, but said it was developed by a global design and engineering team and will be built in multiple locations around the world. The Cruze approaches an overall length of about 15 feet -- almost identical to the Cobalt, which is also built at the Lordstown plant.

GM said the car will offer better use of the interior space, cargo capacity and room for five passengers.

The introduction of a small car continues a trend for GM. CEO Rick Wagoner told a group of Dallas business leaders on Thursday that 18 of the next 19 new GM products for the U.S. will be cars or crossovers.

Wagoner said the world's No. 1 automaker is increasing production at several car plants and ceasing truck production at four others.