GM Reveals 2016 Chevrolet Malibu

[FenwickHockey65]

Considering how mediocre the current model is and its subsequent slow sales, the 2016 won't have any problem beating it in sales.

[Q'smuscle]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

Considering how mediocre the current model is and its subsequent slow sales, the 2016 won't have any problem beating it in sales.

Mediocre in looks? And what would make you so sure that the 16 will beat the current one sales?

[Q'smuscle]

The current one interior has a better design than this 2016 model too . But hey , sells is what matters.

[KMPrenger]

Originally Posted by Q'smuscle

The current one interior has a better design than this 2016 model too . But hey , sells is what matters.

Sorry man, but how does this comment make sense?

You seem to be saying that the old one looks better, inside and out, but since "sales is what matters" you agree the new one will sell more?????

But if it sells more...then I'd say that's a pretty proof positive argument that most people would agree that this car looks better, inside and out.....correct???

[Q'smuscle]

Originally Posted by KMPrenger

Sorry man, but how does this comment make sense?

No sorry! I can see why my post could be a little mixed up.

You seem to be saying that the old one looks better, inside and out, but since "sales is what matters" you agree the new one will sell more?????

But if it sells more...then I'd say that's a pretty proof positive argument that most people would agree that this car looks better, inside and out.....correct???

I'm saying that sells matter because (FenwickHockey65 ) said that it will sell better . I don't think so but I am just one person. And looks don't always sell more . Why do Toyota's as a brand sell more cars internationally? There's more than just what car looks the best sometimes.

[essess]

I think it looks ok, better than the current car for sure. But i cant believe its only being offered in front wheel drive i feel like thats way WAY too important of an option in the midsize category to leave out.

[Q'smuscle]

Originally Posted by essess

I think it looks ok, better than the current car for sure. But i cant believe its only being offered in front wheel drive i feel like thats way WAY too important of an option in the midsize category to leave out.

Well , not really because front wheel drive makes it a better more universal car. And a more convenient car . Plus it's competitors is all front wheel drive too.

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by essess

I think it looks ok, better than the current car for sure. But i cant believe its only being offered in front wheel drive i feel like thats way WAY too important of an option in the midsize category to leave out.

And just what are you basing this importance on?

To the best of my knowledge the top 3 sellers in the segment (Camry, Accord, and Altima) are all front drive only and probably account for half to two thirds of the segment on their own. So clearly its not that important to have AWD. Beyond those three, the Malibu, Sonata, Optima, and Mazda6 are FWD only as well. I think the only ones that even offer AWD are the Fusion, Legacy, and 200 -of these, only a portion of sales will be AWD (except for the Legacy which is AWD only).

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by Q'smuscle

Mediocre in looks? And what would make you so sure that the 16 will beat the current one sales?

Originally Posted by Q'smuscle

The current one interior has a better design than this 2016 model too . But hey , sells is what matters.

Seriously, all you care about is the damn design. The current Malibu is a dud. There's no ifs, ands or buts about it. The exterior design is disjointed, it looks like one team designed the front and another designed the rear and they mashed the two together. There's no cohesiveness to the exterior whatsoever. The interior was nice for about a month after its reveal, then the stupid grate design cue across the entire IP got really old, the center stack looks completely out of place, and the rear bench was poorly designed. And let's not even go into the powertrains, the eAssist model which was doomed to fail from the beginning when the 2.5L with Start/Stop ended up achieving just as decent FE numbers, plus the botched launch of the entire damn car since the higher priced Eco model went on sale before the other trims were even ready to go into production.

The fact that GM had to rush the MCE into production just one year after launch proves that even GM knew they had a failure on their hands. The fact that Malibu has been unsuccessful at gaining market share in the midsize segment proves that it's a failure. The fact that Malibu has been relegated to fleet queen status (even more so when the E2XX model goes into production as the current model will literally be produced solely for rental fleets) proves that it's a failure.

The 2013-2015 Malibu should go down in history as a case study of how NOT to build a midsize sedan with mediocre powertrains, a too-short wheelbase leading to cramped rear legroom, and basically nothing compelling besides the top-of-the-line 3LZ 2.0T model to draw consumers away from competitors.

The 2016 model is what GM should have built back in 2013.

[Q'smuscle]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

Seriously, all you care about is the damn design. The current Malibu is a dud. There's no ifs, ands or buts about it. The exterior design is disjointed, it looks like one team designed the front and another designed the rear and they mashed the two together. There's no cohesiveness to the exterior whatsoever. The interior was nice for about a month after its reveal, then the stupid grate design cue across the entire IP got really old, the center stack looks completely out of place, and the rear bench was poorly designed. And let's not even go into the powertrains, the eAssist model which was doomed to fail from the beginning when the 2.5L with Start/Stop ended up achieving just as decent FE numbers, plus the botched launch of the entire damn car since the higher priced Eco model went on sale before the other trims were even ready to go into production.

The fact that GM had to rush the MCE into production just one year after launch proves that even GM knew they had a failure on their hands. The fact that Malibu has been unsuccessful at gaining market share in the midsize segment proves that it's a failure. The fact that Malibu has been relegated to fleet queen status (even more so when the E2XX model goes into production as the current model will literally be produced solely for rental fleets) proves that it's a failure.

The 2013-2015 Malibu should go down in history as a case study of how NOT to build a midsize sedan with mediocre powertrains, a too-short wheelbase leading to cramped rear legroom, and basically nothing compelling besides the top-of-the-line 3LZ 2.0T model to draw consumers away from competitors.

The 2016 model is what GM should have built back in 2013.

lol.... Calm down! You like this boring design with no character and that's cool. Copying or having 2 or even 3 cars that look almost identical isn't something that stands out. Maybe , I would like to see something different than the same ol same , interior and exterior wise.

[IBM]

Just had a rental '15 Malibu last week. There wasn't much good I could say about it. While I appreciate several aspects of the 15's interior, the '16 looks more cohesive. There were so many different materials in my rental that the e-brake and the gear shift weren't even wrapped in the same kind of leather.. didn't make any sense to me.
Really sloppy transmission stood out the most, and the thing only had 150 miles on it.
I hope they've worked on the engine start-stop feature. That wasn't the smoothest thing in the world either.

[King T]

(Detroit Free Press)





2016 Chevrolet Malibu faces huge challenges

Chevrolet needs an heroic performance from the 2016 Malibu midsize sedan that debuted at the New York auto show today.

The striking new Malibu may deliver. It has head-turning looks, competitive passenger space and improved fuel economy. It goes on sale late this year.

The Malibu that's being replaced failed not because it's a bad car, but because it's not great in any way. That's disastrous in the cutthroat midsize car market, where an inch of knee room or a mile per gallon can be the difference between victory and defeat.

The Malibu is a bellwether for Chevrolet and General Motors. The current car's predecessor, the 2008 Chevy Malibu, was a hit. It beat the Honda Accord to become North American Car of the Year, attracted new customers, overshadowed the Ford Fusion and boosted Chevy's standing with demanding family buyers. It convinced some buyers that GM was a different and better company and Chevrolet was worth a second look,

The current car squandered that momentum, losing sales and selling at deeply discounted prices despite excellent quality and safety ratings.

Chevrolet is now arguably eighth in a ten-car race to build American families' favorite car.

That's an intolerable situation for GM's volume brand, but changing it will be a long, slow process.

"We've got to get people to fundamentally think differently about Chevrolet," Chevrolet cars marketing director Steve Majoros said.

One of every seven cars sold in the U.S. is midsized, so the Malibu is a good place to start.

The 2016 model demands attention with flowing, unexpected shapes that draw the eye and set it apart from other midsize sedans. Without looking like the bigger Impala, it draws inspiration from that car, which design director designer John Cafaro said "cracked the code" for how good a Chevrolet sedan can look.

The 2016 Malibu's key promises:

-Highway fuel economy up to 37 m.p.g. for non-hybrids, better than the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, tied with the Fusion and Sonata, but still 1 m.p.g. short of the Nissan Altima.
-Advanced powertrains, including an eight-speed automatic transmission and a new family of 4cylinder engines
-GM's first truly competitive hybrid midsize, with an expected combined city/highway fuel economy of at least 45 m.p.g..
-A notably bigger interior, with appealing materials, simple controls and advanced connectivity.

[King T]

[King T]