2008 Chevrolet Malibu: Offical Interior Shot For '08 Model

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YSSMAN

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Well, here is the story, and then I will post the photos...

Leftlanenews.com
The spies at KGP Photography have caught what appears to be the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu in testing. As anticipated, the car takes on a more aggressive look with wider shoulders, a lower roofline, and a generally modernized appearance. While KGP has identified the car as a 2008 Chevy Impala, we find this suggestion highly unlikely, as GM is widely expected to unveil a retro-styled rear-wheel-drive Impala for the 2009 or 2010 model year. This vehicles is almost certainly the new Malibu.

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Okay, first of all, it is a pretty good looking car. It has a pinch of European flavor via Vauxhall/Opel, but the angular looks definatley show if off as an American model. However, the question becomes, is this an Epsilon-based Malibu... Or is it a Zeta-based Impala?

I'm going to have to disagree with Leftlanenews on this one, as this car looks to be too large to become the Malibu replacement. That seems evident in the second picture, but of course, there really isn't anything to measure the car up with to see exactly what is going on.

...But then again, I would have expected the Impala too look just a titch more retro ala Camaro concept, not overly-retro like the 300C or Mustang.
 
No thats not the Impala.
IMO, it looks pretty good. Euro-style, much better than the crap we've gotten for the past decade.

Im really proud of GM and Hyundai--both have saved themselves from potential bankruptcy and upped their rep, in my book and in most everyone elses. Keep it up, guys!:)👍
 
The back end looks very Buick LaCross to me. In general I like the car. It looks to have a longer sloping windshield to me and a shorter hood. I am not sure if I like the grill but I like the rear quarters and side skirting. Hopefully it's a step in the right direction.
 
Overall shape reminds me of a nicer Toyota. Whatever it is, it's going to be a nice looking GM.
 
...Toyota...

People are allready seeing it?

...Hmmm, maybe this car is designed to get right at Toyota! Hey, if they can offer similar performance and similar build quality (or atleast what "build quality" Toyota still puts in their cars) for less money, they SHOULD have a winner on their hands. But then again, the current-gen Malibu SHOULD have been a better compeditor to the Camry in the sales department given it's overall good ratings by the press, but that didn't happen now, did it?
 
The press liked the Malibu? I guess that's why it never placed at the top of a comparison, eh? I thought they were ugly, cheap pieces of crap, personally.
And yes, that grille and healights would look perfectly at home on a Toyota. Looks like a bigass Yaris.
 
Well, the press may not have loved it, but they said it was a good deal for most folks looking to spend less money than what they would on a Toyota or Honda, and they would get a similarly good car. Motor Trend probably had the most forgiving words for the car in their road test against the Toyota Camry XLE V6, Honda Accord EX V6, and Mitsubishi Galant GT V6.

...Car and Driver said the car was okay in normal form (not in their tastes of course), but with the SS overhaul, it was like a completely different car.

I've driven a fair share of Malibus, Camrys, Accords, etc and I would say that the Malibu is on-par with the Japanese competition, but the G6 is the better of the "cheap" Epsilon models.

I look at it this way, for an extra grand I can get a bigger car that gets the same gas mileage with the Impala. Quite franly, I like the W-Body better, but the Malibu is still a good car.
 
...Well, because its a Hyundai, and they still haven't figured out how "good" the resale value will be on their new cars and trucks.

Not that I wouldn't buy one, the Sonata is quite nice, same with the Azera, but the GM line is about the same price, is cheaper to fix, and holds it's value more...
 
Considering you can snag a new Malibu for under 15k what you get is a pretty damn good deal. As I said in another thread, my father got one just a week or so ago and the one time I drove it I was impressed. Honestly, for the price you can't go wrong. Toyotas are nice but the Malibu is great for it's price point.
 
YSSMAN
Not that I wouldn't buy one, the Sonata is quite nice, same with the Azera, but the GM line is about the same price, is cheaper to fix, and holds it's value more...
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Holds its value more?! A GM car?!

:boggled:

The residuals of GM products are among the worst in the industry.


As for the car in question, it does have circular taillights, which suggests Impala...
 
Yes, GM modles don't hold their value as well as say, Volkswagens or Hondas, but they have been better than Kias and Hyundais for decades... Or, atleast thats the case in the United States.

I guess I never noticed the round tail-lights, good catch!

...Even if it is the new Impala, it still looks good. Retrofuturism is on the way out, and I think an old Impala design would have looked awkward on a brand-new car. Lets just pray that they stuck a good-sized V8 in there and offer up an optional 6-speed manual, or atleast the 6L80E from the Corvette with the paddle shifters...
 
I hate both.
The Malibu looks too generic, ala Camry, Accord, and is too family oriented with the Saturns. :grumpy:

The Impala has been a joke since it new inception and only the mid '90's SS model are the real deal with rear wheel drive, nice engine, and sinister looks.
Call me old school, which I'm not really, but still hold on to legendary cars and how manufacturers are bringing back the marques in sheeps clothing. :dunce:

And the only reason why GM is halfway getting it right is because of Opel and the European GM team.
Delta platform is big with GM right now and is one of the main reasons for their quality.
Now if they'd get back to their roots and make the Impala a rwd car again.

Misnblu
 
...Ummm, the Impala is going to be RWD in it's next-gen makeover. It will share it's Zeta platform with the new Camaro, Monte Carlo, Grand Prix, GTO, Invicta, Commodore (and it's spin-offs), Monaro, Ute/Crewman, Adventra, and Statesman/Caprice.

The Malibu however is going to stay on the same platform it is allready on, the Epsilon, and stay FWD. The same platform is allready in use under the G6, Aura, 9-3, BLS, and Vectra. It is a solid FWD platform that has turned out to be pretty good, and offers a good ammount of value for the money.
 
Yeah, I have no problem with FWD cars when they are doing what they are supposed too....being cheap as hell.

I have SERIOUS problems with FWD V-8 powered Impala's and Grand Prix's pretending to hold a candle to the heritage they are disgracing...come on Zeta cars!
 
...Well, atleast they finially stuffed the V8s in there like they promised, BACK IN 1991!!! (or was it '93?)
 
YSSMAN
...Ummm, the Impala is going to be RWD in it's next-gen makeover. It will share it's Zeta platform with the new Camaro, Monte Carlo, Grand Prix, GTO, Invicta, Commodore (and it's spin-offs), Monaro, Ute/Crewman, Adventra, and Statesman/Caprice.

The Malibu however is going to stay on the same platform it is allready on, the Epsilon, and stay FWD. The same platform is allready in use under the G6, Aura, 9-3, BLS, and Vectra. It is a solid FWD platform that has turned out to be pretty good, and offers a good ammount of value for the money.
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Well, it's about time Bob Lutz lived up to his promises with RWD.
This was rumored to happen a couple of years ago and have been waiting since those rumors came out.

Thanks YSSMAN for the correction and for the information too.
It'll be nice to see these cars in real life and about time too.
I agree with onikaze about the big v8 cars with fwd. That's something of an oxymoron and could never figure out why a car manufacturer would so something like that. :yuck:

Misnblu
 
Here is an interesting story in reguards to the design of the Malibu...

Leftlanenews.com
The Korea-built 2007 Chevrolet Epica shows the new "face" of Chevrolet, according to Sung Paik, the car's lead designer. Paik told Automotive News the car's design cues will find their way into many new Chevy vehicles, including cars sold in North America. Paik said there are no plans to bring the Epica directly to the United States. However, he said the car has been well-received within GM North America. "We'll see how the business goes," he said.
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To give a rough idea of what the Epica looks like:
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This is all very interesting, as what is presumably the new Malibu and what is presumably the new Impala (See the Zeta thread page 9) both look very different than the Captiva. Does that mean that when the Cobalt and Equinox get a makeover, they are both going to look similar to the Captiva as well?
 
Hrrm.

Can't say I like anything about that, it looks like a caricature of an angry little car.
 
Its not horrible by any means, but I think I like the looks of the other cars so far. The Captiva reminds me of a pissed-off Saturn L-Series with a body line.
 
I haven't been in this forum in a while, so let me sound off yet again. That's what I'm paid in pixelated money for, right? So let me earn my pay yet again.

For the past two Houston Auto Shows, I've asked the people of Chevrolet if we'll ever see a rear-wheel drive Impala again. The most popular response I've gotten is that it's being considered. I sort of see a little Scion tC in the front design. I can sort of tell this by the headlights and a little of the front grill. But all the spy stuff will disrupt ANYONE's perception of a forthcoming car. Some people would probably say that the last REAL Impala was back in the mid-1990s with the wide, RWD, high-HP road warrior. The front grill design has some cues to the SS-R concept car (not the truck). A lot of people don't like concept cars, but just pay attention to them every now and then. Think about future vehicles whose design is either based off of a concept car or a recent, high-dollar, flagship car. Look at Mazda and their RX-8. Look at Cadillac and their Cien. Certain concept cars and flagship cars can give you clues about new design changes you be aware of. The bold front grill has some nice flavor to this car. I don't like the sides too much. I'm completely unsure about the rear of the car with all the spy stuff on the back.

It's a bold design (no pun on GM's rival Ford and Ford's recent campaign about bold moves). It's hopefully a design and configuration to get people excited about the Malibu again. I usually gave approval ratings of a car out of 100%. So out of 100%, I'll give this car a modest score- 84%.
 
...Yes, it seems the SS Concept and Cayanne concept seemed to predict the future all those years ago.
 
I fail to understand why no one else has commented on this:

Just about every new car has this high-waisted look, like someone's senile grandfather who keeps pulling his pants too high...up around his neck.

Most of these cars look great in concept form, where platform-sharing is rarely an issue, as is driveability & safety, and wheels can be 24" on any given sub-compact. Two good examples are the CTS and Mitsubishi Evo. The CTS (non-V, although the V is aces) looks way too upright. Head on, it looks like some red-headed stepchild, pulling his ears out, crossing his eyes, and bucking his teeth. From the side, it's pure grandpa all the way. Slab-sided, making the wheels look woefully undersized (which they're not).

Same goes for the Evo. Over the past 10 years, it's gone from really looking the WRC part, to looking more like a well-tuned econobox. It's the side that kills it. The thickened C-pillar lines up directly with the rear wheels, giving this huge expanse of sheet metal that makes the car look Civic-ish front-wheel drive, and the tires look like 185/60-14. My Scooby has a similar C-pillar alignment, but somehow Peter Stevens managed to avoid the noid on this one. Same size tires as the Evo, you know.

And yet in all this fudging around with bodystyles, Chrysler is the only one who's got the proportions right. Every 1999 E-class based car they make is slab-sided and short-windowed, but has that distinctive rear-drive mobster look. It's gorgeous (although I'd never own one; it's just not me).

Since everyone's kind of gotten bored of reading by this point, and I've lost my train of thought, I'll just end it here.:sly:
 
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...Care to elaborate a bit more, I'm kinda confused by your whole thing?
 
NEW PHOTOS OF THE 2008 MODEL!

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....Hmmm. First things first, the car looks great. I haven't seen good styling on a GM car like that in a while, and it is going to be a good move for GM to build a car like that.

But, the car still seems HUGE! It looks like it is the same size as the outgoing Impala, which was a bit bigger than the current Malibu. They must have altered the Epsilon chassis quite a bit to get it like this, because it doesn't look like a Vectra at all.

...Maybe Priddy was right when she said it was the Zeta-based Impala?

EDIT: N/M on the Zeta thing. You would be able to see the rear-axle on the last photo...
 
From the tail lights in that last picture, it looks like the Uber Cobalt. Also anyone notice the wierd thing about this picture?


The front emblem (taped off) looks like its shaped like a bowtie to some extent. Yet the reat one, looks like Buick sheilds. Any ideas?
 
The tail-lights make me think Impala, but I'm wondering if they are just one-offs that are to be used just for now. I'm guessing they will go with a similar style to the current model's lights in the rear.

...But, this could easily take the title "Best Looking Epsilon" away from the Vectra VXR...
 
I'm still questioning what this vehicle is. It does look so much like the Buick Lucerne, on which the Impala is based, that it'd be hard for me to believe it's the Malibu. It's also too large. And the Malibu came out in 2004 - a new one so soon would be contrary to GM's product strategy, which is "let it be for as long as humanly possible." However the Impala is also relatively new, being essentially completely redesigned for model year 2006.

Has anyone considered the fact that this isn't a Chevrolet?
 
Well, apparently it will be sold as a 2008 model, so it is atleast a year away. I just want to see the current Malibu parked next to it so I can make a better guestimate as to how big at is.

So I'm begining to wonder if the Impala we are to be getting will not be the Commodore, but the Statesman, thus having the Malibu bump up a size to replace the old W-Body model.

...I'm not sure though. Even as a GM guy I'm having a hard time thinking all of this through. But GM has promised us the new Malibu for quite some time, and they keep telling us it is supposed to be awesome on the scale of the '55 Bel Air...
 
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