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Cato: General Motors has its best new family sedan in generations — the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu — yet where are they? Where are the Malibus? Why don't we see more on the road?
Vaughan: They've botched the launch. Not only does the marketing need work, but I have also heard that GM Canada fumbled the distribution of Malibus to dealers. Got it all wrong.
Cato: You, my friend, have referred to Chevrolet's advertising tag line, "Let's Go," as a great way to promote a laxative, but as the slogan for a car brand -- GM's biggest global brand -- "Let's Go" is taking GM Canada absolutely nowhere.
Vaughan: I do not get it. This, the sixth-generation Malibu, is something of a triumph for GM in 2008, but the real story began in 2004.
Cato: Right. Back then GM realized it had to create a car to compete head-on with the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord. They took this all very seriously. A Canadian, Gene Stefanyshyn, was the vehicle line executive in charge...
Vaughan: ...And that means he was, basically, the chief engineer. He set about drawing on the best engineering GM had anywhere in the world and he found a lot of it at Opel.
Cato: It helped that Stefanyshyn had worked in Germany as an engineer, because this car is built on the second-generation Epsilon global platform, a platform shared with some great GM cars in Europe.
Vaughan: The new Malibu looks good, drives well and overall it is a real contender. Quality — certainly the fit and finish of cars we've tested — is better many midsize family cars out there and the equal of all of them. And it's quiet; on the highway you'd think you were in a Rolls.
Cato: Now here's the problem. GM is not drawing in Camry and Accord buyers, getting them to trade in and take a chance on a Chevy. The Power Information Network data below shows that the top three trade-ins on a new Malibu are all GM cars — the old Malibu, the Chevy Impala and the Pontiac Sunfire.
Vaughan: You see the scope of this problem at GM. Meanwhile, the General, as we all know, is trying desperately to get out of the deal-making game and the Malibu is not a car you'd expect to find larded up with handouts to bribe buyers.
Cato: There are richer deals out there on midsize family cars — the Hyundai Sonata comes to mind -- but Chevy's offers on the Malibu are not bad. GM Canada is offering 1.5 per cent financing for up to five years, for instance.
Vaughan: For those who want to lease, GM will waive the security deposit and do financing for up to four years at 2.25 per cent.
Cato: There is some cash on the table, too: $500 if you are in the Canadian Forces; $1,000 if you quality for the Winter Windfall program; and, $1,000 via GM's Car Heaven plan.
Vaughan: Car Heaven is for 2007 models and it amounts to a $1,000 trade-in bonus on cars from 1995 and older. Anyone who wants to know more, call 1-888-441-2277.
Cato: The Winter Windfall is a continuation of GM's Wish & Win giveaway. If you gave it a sniff, but declined to make a deal on a GM vehicle, the Winter Windfall allows you to claim the Wish & Win deal from which you walked away — up to $10,000 on GM vehicles. Looks like it is capped at $1,000 for the Malibu.
Vaughan: GM is not going to give much away, yet, in Malibu deals. But there are a couple of ways to chop the final price down to size. Some dealers will move on the actual price...
Cato: ...And that $1,250 freight charge is excessive. Of course, some people out there probably haven't even heard about the '08 Malibu, much less put it on a shopping list beside the Camry and Accord.
Vaughan: We can't fix the marketing, but we can say this: The Malibu is a very good car and definitely worth a test drive. Or as the General says, "Urrp, let's go."
2008 Chev Malibu
Buyer's Age Range:
- 16-34 years: 6.3%
- 35-54 years: 34.3%
- 55+ years: 59.4%
Gender ratio:
- Female: 35.3%
- Male: 64.7%
Type of sale:
- Cash/non-dealer financing: 9.8%
- Finance: 33.8%
- Lease: 56.4%
Most popular colours
- Silver
- Blue
- Grey
Vehicle price: $27,330 (does not include taxes, license or title fees)
Days to turn: 15
Trade ins: 27.8% (does not include lease returns)
Top three trade ins:
- Chev Malibu
- Chev Impala
- Pontiac Sunfire
Average monthly payments: (includes PST & GST)
- Lease (48 month term): $439
- Finance (60 month term): $467
Source: Power Information Network
