Posted on 09/28/2007 6:17:37 AM PDT by vietvet67
DETROIT: General Motors solved one problem this week by reaching a deal with the United Automobile Workers. Now it hopes its new Chevrolet Malibu will help solve another - winning sales and market share back from its Japanese rivals.
For years, family sedans have been a lower priority for GM and the other Detroit automakers. They focused instead on big trucks and sport utility vehicles, which earned tidy profits, while letting Toyota and Honda dominate the less-lucrative market for cars.
But the best days for those big vehicles have passed, and GM is eager to break the Asian stranglehold on midsize sedans, with a redesigned Chevrolet Malibu set to go on sale Nov. 2 that it views as its most important vehicle in years.
The company is spending $100 million to introduce the new "Bu," as executives call it, significantly more than it has for any other car in recent memory. It has to invest heavily, experts say, in order to make a dent in the market led by the Toyota Camry, the country's best-selling car for the past seven years, and the Honda Accord.
"It's tough to get the broad American public to reconsider an American car in that price class," the vice chairman of GM, Robert Lutz, said at an industry conference in northern Michigan last month. "The Camry and the Accord have established, and justifiably so, such strong brand value, which means that you've got to have a really outstanding car."
While the Malibu may be improved, so is its competition. This month, Honda began selling a redesigned Accord sedan that is bigger, more powerful and more luxurious than previous versions. The Camry and Nissan Altima were also overhauled last year.
(Excerpt) Read more at iht.com ...
GM’s 5/60 is powertrain only. The Koreans have 10/100 Powertrain, 5/60 Bumper-to-bumper.
Chrysler has a lifetime powertrain warranty.
How about 5.7L engine failure recalls with the new Toyota Tundra truck, or catastrophic steering column failurs with the new Toyota Avalon sedan? There is a price to pay in quality, when sales volume is pursued above all else, and Toyota has been guilty of that, according to certian executives with Toyota itself. This is coming from someone who drove Toyotas for twenty years. I don't like the styling of the newest Toyota models, which ranges from bland to peculiar, especially the Tacoma. I owned and loved Tacomas for many years, but didn't care for the looks of them after the 2000 model year, the last one I purchased.
I’ve had two Malibus on lease and the only problem I ever had was that one needed new brake pads before I turned it in after three years.
Quality car, but the previous generatio of styling went to a bulky, boxy shape that wasn’t impressive. The hatchback model was even worse.
Either way, they’re quality cars.
“GM already offers a 5yr, 100,000 mile warranty.”
That’s on the powertrain only.
This is incorrect, it's 5 year, 100,000 miles. I should know, I just bought an '08 GMC model.
You are probably correct. The old standard sixes for GM cars were the 3.1L and 3.8L. IIRC, they only offered the 3.8 as an option in the Lumina for a short time because of transmission problems created by excessive stresses from the larger engine. The 3.1 was the “standard” for the Lumina.
The newer GM V-6 engines are the 3.5, 3.6, and 3.9. They would be smart to offer the 3.6 as an option in the new Malibu. We’ll see.
Baloney
You made the same choice that a lot of others did. The Sonata is a great car, and a great bargain.
Who’s going to be stupid enough to buy this Mali-boooo when the Sonata’s there with a lower price, better design, and a much better warranty?
“GM’s 5/60 is powertrain only.
This is incorrect, it’s 5 year, 100,000 miles. I should know, I just bought an ‘08 GMC model.”
Right, but their bumper to bumper remains at 3 years/36,000.
Mrs. riverdawg drives a Buick Park Avenue with the supercharged 3800 V-6. (I’m confident she is the youngest person in town driving a Park Avenue ... by 30 years.) This was a hand-me-down from her father. We’ve had minimal trouble with it for 7 years - new brake pads and a new driver’s-side window switch. Our daily workhorse, though, is a Toyota Highlander. When we last shopped eighteen months ago for a new vehicle, we tried to keep an open mind and looked at various GM and Nissan products. After a few test drives, we quickly narrowed the field to Toyotas and Hondas.
Oh, my LeSabre isn't the most recent version, nor does it have the most powerful 3800 that GM makes. I will grant you that the current Altima and Camry are better cars than my LeSabre, but they're not at my price point either.
And that's important, because I can't afford the Altima or the Camry.
What car-based CUV model, or models on the same platform, outsells the combined GM Lambda trio of GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook and Buick Enclave?
OK, 5/100 (mistyped that), but 5/100 is still powertrain only.
Most people won’t go 100K in five years (national average of about 10k miles per year). They will, however, do it in 10 years. Many people find it telling that GM isn’t willing to match the time period of the Korean warranties. Essentially, the message they’re sending is that after 5 years or 100K, they expect the car to fall apart.
The software “does” whatever the designers tell it to do. GM just has crappy designers, and then they filter through the concept trying to make it appeal to everyone, which means it appeals to no one. It’s like the 90’s mustangs, they were softened to appeal to women, but then women didn’t like them because they were not cool and looked like every other blob car. How many women do you see driving the more masculine new mustang? Tons.
My recently aquired 95 Jaguar XJR shipped with a better warranty than that - 4/50 bumper to bumper - in 1995.
Nothing like being accused of being ‘the lowest common denominator’ - geez!
SMART people (exponential numerator types) buy Camry’s and Accords.
“My recently aquired 95 Jaguar XJR shipped with a better warranty than that - 4/50 bumper to bumper - in 1995.”
My Mazda 3 has a 4 year/48,000 mile warranty. 3 years/36,000 miles is really outdated when cars can go 100,000 between tune ups.
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