GM Lavishes $100m Ad Blitz on New Malibu/Hail Mary

Frank Williams
by Frank Williams

GM plans to spend at least $100m to promote the new Chevy Malibu. In hopes of making the model more competitive against Camry and Accord and less of a fleet queen, GM has given the Malibu an Opelized makeover. John Wolkonowicz reckons "This will be the nicest-looking mid-size car out there. It's simple, and it looks capable and looks aggressive." But the Global Insight analyst also warns, "If they think they are going to cannibalize a bunch of sales from Camry and Accord drivers, they are fooling themselves. You're not going to change those people's minds." Bloomberg.com describes the Malibu as "the latest Lutz-inspired model that GM Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner is counting on to help end a seven-year slide in U.S. sales and recover from more than $12 billion in losses in 2005 and 2006." Here's hoping that the Malibu will be more successful in that mission than the last automotive marines sent to storm the beaches: the Chevrolet Silverado, Saturn Aura, and Lambda crossovers (Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook).

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  • Taxman100 Taxman100 on Aug 16, 2007

    I think it looks very promising to me.

  • Redbarchetta Redbarchetta on Aug 16, 2007

    Can you blame us, it's a risk I can't afford to make again, my wallet's not fat like GM expects it's customers to be. Remember ”Rich people don’t care about gas prices,” Lutz remarked. I'm not rich so I guess they don't build cars for me.

  • Rtz Rtz on Aug 17, 2007

    Malibu is boring, average, common, and generic. Straight up 100% rental car. Nobody on this planet can even fake getting excited over a Malibu. Give me one good reason to be excited about a single feature of the Malibu. That car has zero appeal. It has no demographics. It's a forgotten model. No heritage, and a bad rep. What does it excel at? Can I get 50mpg out of it like I can with a 1998 VW TDI New Beetle with over 100,000 miles on the odometer and reliable? Can I get good 0-60 performance out of the Malibu? Can I get a new Malibu for $9988? Can you make them in China so I can get one for $4,000 and commute to work in it for cheap transportation? Can you make them be electric instead of gas? Anything but what it is. Hell, even a two door model would be a start! A rear wheel drive, two door with a Vette motor in it for ~$14k-$16k! Here's a good one: 2 versions of the hybrid. One that gets extreme mileage above all else. The other with some serious, serious performance. Make it run at least 13's in the quarter for a start. Whittle down the ET as new models are released. HELL! You should have made the hybrid a PLUGIN model! First to market, but no, you were scared and the company went bankrupt because no risks were taken. What happened to the glory days and all the action and excitement? Put GM back on the map. First to market with everything. It's not to late. Midyear product updates can fix everything. If somethings not selling, change it up! Make it something, someone wants to buy. Stick a big A123 pack in it and get 1,000 miles from it between recharges.

  • Johnster Johnster on Aug 17, 2007

    Is the Malibu finally going to get the GM high-content 3.6 liter V-6? The engine that is used in the high-line Saturn Aura? Anything else that GM puts in their mid-sized cars (the 2.4 liter 4 and the Chevy V-6s) are POS.

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