We're going to throw a few opinion and editorial pieces out there once in a while to spur some discussion and debate. Feel free to chime in with your opinion and own impressions if you've driven the new Malibu...
Some of my earliest automotive memories are of riding in Dad's '74 Malibu Classic. It was a jade-green coupe with a white vinyl roof, and my brother and I would fight each other for who would ride on the parcel shelf below the rear window. A lot has changed since the mid-'70s — my parents would surely be pulled over and shot on site today for allowing their toddlers to meander unrestrained in the back of a moving car — when General Motors was still the biggest carmaker on the planet and Chevy was its top brand. No one questioned my father's blind loyalty to the General back then....
"as good as" is good enough when it is its competitions' equal given data.
The problem is when perception takes over as it always does. The reigning kings/incumbents have the benefit in this regard and it will take time to fix the Bu's (GM's) perception issues.
The Bu HAS presence IMO... mainly because of the longer WB on a similar OAL compared to its competition. It makes it look executive to me.
"as good as" is good enough when it is its competitions' equal given data.
The problem is when perception takes over as it always does. The reigning kings/incumbents have the benefit in this regard and it will take time to fix the Bu's (GM's) perception issues.
The Bu HAS presence IMO... mainly because of the longer WB on a similar OAL compared to its competition. It makes it look executive to me.
okay, WB = wheel base
OAL = MIKEY CONFUSED
What is a Libertarian? A Republican who owns a bong.
No doubt the Malibu is impressive. I'm still waiting for GM to hit a small mainstream car design outta the park. Then we'll know that hell hath indeed frozen over. The engine in the new HHR SS is a damn good start BTW.
Yes Martha, you can get your new 2010 Toyota 4Runner with a 4-cylinder. As long as it's 2WD. And as long as it's with an old 4-speed automatic.
I agree that GM has everything in place -- now they just need to keep executing solid products in other areas as well. It took years for their competitors to get to where they are now, so it'll take GM the same to get it back. But they're on the right track, and over time, consumer perceptions will eventually catch up with reality.
I haven't worked with the industry in Detroit that much, but I find that when it comes to GM at least, there seems to be a much more optimistic attitude of where they are headed, compared to the last time I was in Michigan.
I agree that GM has everything in place -- now they just need to keep executing solid products in other areas as well. It took years for their competitors to get to where they are now, so it'll take GM the same to get it back. But they're on the right track, and over time, consumer perceptions will eventually catch up with reality.
I haven't worked with the industry in Detroit that much, but I find that when it comes to GM at least, there seems to be a much more optimistic attitude of where they are headed, compared to the last time I was in Michigan.
i figured it might be that, but the A threw me off since its only 2 words... in the automotive industry, what does OL stand for then?
What is a Libertarian? A Republican who owns a bong.
GM seems to have good consistency and is now producing good vehicles. The full-size trucks, roadsters, mid-size sedans, and redesigned CTS have been fine executions compared to the shoddy work going back thirty years. When it comes to styling, though, I prefer the AURA. Its Opelized direction just appeals to me.
Ford deserves a lesser bit of credit for its sedans. The Five Hundred/Taurus may be a joke, but the Fusion is the best sedan I've seen for the price. I have confusion with what the Fusion is--is it a small sedan like the Civic, or a medium-class one like the Accord? The first ads compared it to smaller cars, but Ford has been focusing on its price advantage compared to the Camry and Accord. Against the Civ, it's superb; against the '08 Accord, not so much. But with the V-6 and all-wheel-drive, the Fusion is a fine package for a low discounted price.
He stood the furious Foe, the timid Friend/The damning Critic, half approving Wit/ The Coxcomb hit, or fearing to be hit;/Laugh’d at the Loss of Friends he never had,/The dull, the proud, the wicked, and the mad.
Ford deserves a lesser bit of credit for its sedans. The Five Hundred/Taurus may be a joke, but the Fusion is the best sedan I've seen for the price. I have confusion with what the Fusion is--is it a small sedan like the Civic, or a medium-class one like the Accord? The first ads compared it to smaller cars, but Ford has been focusing on its price advantage compared to the Camry and Accord. Against the Civ, it's superb; against the '08 Accord, not so much. But with the V-6 and all-wheel-drive, the Fusion is a fine package for a low discounted price.
The Fusion is a rebadged Mazda 6 - which competes directly with the Camry and Accord. It's the same size.
I think it's a really good start and you have to start climbing a mountain at the bottom. I think for GM to reach the summit they need much better than average reliability ratings and a proper Civic/Corolla fighter next. Good resale values, I think, will come if these cars are reliable and hold up well and that will assist GM long term as well.
Really, for survival, GM needs long term reliability next because in the car market, looks are fleeting you need substance with your style to change long held perceptions.
I'd agree that if you were coming from an Accord or Camry you might find the ergonomics of the Malibu different, especially if you are coming from a long line of Honda or Toyota ownership. However, as a GM owner [of a Malibu] everything was where I expected it too be. Not that this will matter, because as FSF mentioned, within a week everything will be second nature.
I'd agree that if you were coming from an Accord or Camry you might find the ergonomics of the Malibu different, especially if you are coming from a long line of Honda or Toyota ownership. However, as a GM owner [of a Malibu] everything was where I expected it too be. Not that this will matter, because as FSF mentioned, within a week everything will be second nature.
Except the seat heater switch, which even after driving the car for a few day I still needed to look at for confirmation that I had, indeed, activated it. Other than that, I found the interior rather nice, and a pleasant departure from the predictable, generic layouts of said Toyotas and Hondas.
Except the seat heater switch, which even after driving the car for a few day I still needed to look at for confirmation that I had, indeed, activated it. Other than that, I found the interior rather nice, and a pleasant departure from the predictable, generic layouts of said Toyotas and Hondas.
Its the "parts bin" seat frame they used. the buttons are in the same location as the G6.
What is a Libertarian? A Republican who owns a bong.
I think it's a really good start and you have to start climbing a mountain at the bottom. I think for GM to reach the summit they need much better than average reliability ratings and a proper Civic/Corolla fighter next. Good resale values, I think, will come if these cars are reliable and hold up well and that will assist GM long term as well.
Really, for survival, GM needs long term reliability next because in the car market, looks are fleeting you need substance with your style to change long held perceptions.
Most GM brands/models do well in quality and reliability these days.
Except the seat heater switch, which even after driving the car for a few day I still needed to look at for confirmation that I had, indeed, activated it. Other than that, I found the interior rather nice, and a pleasant departure from the predictable, generic layouts of said Toyotas and Hondas.
I have to agree with both of you, having owned an Olds Intrigue for a few years (which despite the marketing tagline was indeed my father's before it was mine). Even though I owned it five years ago GM's placement for things hasn't changed much and everything was intuitively placed for me. . . other than those heated seats. I did the same thing as Bryan, continually looking down to make sure the heat was coming. Since owning that car and driving everything new from GM since, I always felt that the Intrigue was the best family sedan GM has built in the past decade. Buicks, Chevys, Pontiacs, and Saturns since have been disappointing for me. But the Malibu has finally changed that for me. It's really a better car in every way, other than the torque steer.
Its still based on the same effing platform, DenCo.
Platform sharing and a rebadge are two VERY different things. RE-BADGE: it says it all in the effing name. Don't me when I'm saying something that's RIGHT and contributing to the thread.
I KNOW it's based on the same platform, but it's FAR from a case of badge engineering or a simple rebadge. If anything sharing the same platform are to be called a rebadge, then I guess an ES350 is a rebadged Camry.
Platform sharing and a rebadge are two VERY different things. RE-BADGE: it says it all in the effing name. Don't me when I'm saying something that's RIGHT and contributing to the thread.
I KNOW it's based on the same platform, but it's FAR from a case of badge engineering or a simple rebadge. If anything sharing the same platform are to be called a rebadge, then I guess an ES350 is a rebadged Camry.
While agreeing with DenCo may cause my ultimate psychological downfall, I have to say he's right on this one. The Fusion and Milan share some drivetrains, some suspension and brake components, and a few interior pieces with the 6, this is true, but they're hardly the same car. The F/M/MKZ are longer, wider, comfier and less-aggressively sprung than the 6. The FoMoCo versions are rebadges of each other, but they aren't nearly as closely related to their ancestor.
Quote, originally posted by VarianceVQ »
More and more evidence is piling up that Europeans are nothing more than Americans with more colorful money and funny accents.
Oh. And GM is NOWHERE NEAR "returned" in my book, yet.
I use the term "HOLE" a lot and IMO none of the brands are out of said hole. Some have their hands on the edge getting leverage to pull the main body out, but that is far from being there (i.e. They may get weak hands (internal failures) and/or the dirt may crumble (external failures)... and it is back to the drawing board again.).
I've said this before... the BIGGEST challenges GM has in their attempted turn around are:
1) ARROGANCE - Returning to the arrogance of years past just because they had a couple of successes. Balancing pride and arrogance is tough... especially for a culture that has the tendancy towards self-inflated egos. Keeping that in check is very important.
2) VISION - Seeing the future is no easy thing, but it isn't rocket science, either when it comes to transportation. This is where I still believe GM Leadership lacks. They are quite still fixated on SUVs/Trucks to save them and/or they are quite 'in-the-box' type thinkers overall.
That they let the INEVITABLE CAFE (Give me an F'ing break... why is this a surprise???????????????) increase screwed up their product plans this badly is simple stupidity at its best. If it isn't CAFE, it would be "naturally" increased prices due to something. If an idiot like me can see it coming and the need for a WELL-SORTED range of smaller cars to balance the nice new trucks/crossovers for saaaaayyyy... the past 20 years , I would think the geniuses in Advanced Product Development could have, too.
3) SHORT TERM METRICS vs BONUSES - This is a common corporate issue not just GM. Those who make the decisions are rewarded by a system that much to often favors monetary reward of such striking proportion that it can easily sway long term decisions for short term gain. When industries of all manner arre so hung up on Wall Street's short term (quarterly) metrics as ours is today... it is prone to losing long term VISION/GOALS in order to please short term ones.
Some may think I'm really negative, but having been inside for ~18 years... I like to think it is about being realistic. I don't even think of myself as a GM employee FIRSTLY per se as I do an industry/community member. The health of GM, Ford, Chrysler, Nissan, VW, Hyundai, etc. all have an impact on the industry. The first 3 impact greatly on my home community obviously and any major hit greatly affects the others as we all share many support systems.
GM is doing better for sure (but that is relative to a really terrible recent history (~30 years)), but I don't think they have all their ducks in a row by any stretch of the imagination. Of the 10 ducks (per se)... maybe 2 are in line (and ducks don't equal a brand in my mind, either... as much as they represent a discipline - process, product, marketing, etc.), while the rest are split between knowing where to lineup and are trying to do so... and those that haven't a clue and need guidance to do so.
1) ARROGANCE - Returning to the arrogance of years past just because they had a couple of successes. Balancing pride and arrogance is tough... especially for a culture that has the tendancy towards self-inflated egos. Keeping that in check is very important.
I agree with you here, and am afraid of this. Very Recently, my mom was looking at replacing here 2004 CR-V. She wanted something a bit bigger, more passenger space, etc. She really liked the Enclave, but wanted it a certain way. Went to a Buick dealership, they basically said, we can sell you one of the lot, but it will be at MSRP, and we cannot order one, these are selling like crazy, we dont need your business. The tone was along the lines of, hey, I can sell these all day, I am not dealing with your specific need on this car. Even from the General Manger of the dealership. The tone was similar from the GMC dealership as well.
My mom left, went a block down, got a new Tribeca which is a phenomenal car, and loves it to pieces. All because stupid GM dealership thinks that because they actually have a hot item, they no longer have competition.
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