New Malibu is the hope of Chevrolet
One top salesman in a Chevrolet dealer in Torrance, California said that he hasn’t had much luck selling mid-sized Chevrolets against Toyota’s Camry. Although he is very optimistic about the arrival of the new Malibu this November.
“It’s been difficult for a while,” said the salesman, whose dealership near Los Angeles is in the middle of a market that’s a Japanese stronghold. “We look forward to the battle, actually, with a product that we feel is going to be strongly competitive with their vehicle.”
The sleek-looking Malibu is critical for General Motors as U.S. automakers try to woo back customers they lost by neglecting the mid-sized car category and focusing on high-profit trucks and sport utility vehicles. The Malibu and the new 2008 Honda Accord are signs of renewed competition in the largest segment of the U.S. car market.
That means consumers will see more standard features, higher quality cars, stable if not falling prices, and models coming out at a faster pace, said Erich Merkle, vice president of forecasting for auto consultant IRN in Grand Rapids, Mich.
“They’re all trying to pack them with features,” he said. “It’s incredibly competitive. That competition is just providing greater value to the consumer. Over the next two years, you’re going to be getting more for less.”
To Merkle and others, the Malibu is Detroit’s best shot at wresting control of the mid-sized segment from Toyota and Honda. The new car has a modern, rounded look and an array of engines and transmissions GM says are far smoother than the Camry’s with comparable or better fuel economy. Merkle says the fit and finish, as well as the interior, are gorgeous.
“We simply see it as the best chance we’ve had in years to take on the two dominant Asian players,” said Bob Lutz, GM’s vice chairman of global product development, in an e-mail to the Associated Press. “It’s the best mid-market front-wheel-drive we’ve ever done.”