2008 Chevrolet Malibu: Offical Interior Shot For '08 Model

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M5Power
Has anyone considered the fact that this isn't a Chevrolet?
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It's got that big fat horizontal grille bar, the round taillights...it's a Chevy. Period.
 
Then it's got to be the Impala - the rear badge is circular and must be masking the Impala logo - that's why it's not horizontal like the Chevrolet logo. Does that make sense to you guys?
 
The rear circular badge could be a circular chevy one like this

VT-VX-Bonnet-Badge-h.jpg




I personally think the car is an Impala and what I can see it looks to me its Zeta based, but at the moment I'm not real sure.
 
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^ The standard Impala should be something like the Holden Calais, or thats what the GM stories have pointed to. But these two cars don't look anything alike, and GM isn't talking.

However, I have also read that this version of the Malibu rides on an "Americanized" version of the Epsilon platform that is stretched out in every dimension, and includes a much softer suspension by comparison to the Aura and G6.
 
I can not wait for them to uncover that new Lumina. :p It almost like the good parts of the Japanse and European sedans merged together. The car is gorgeous!
 
Is it just me, or is the front cowl fairly close to the front wheels? Unless the engine is going to be mounted far back a la 4th gen F Body, I'd say that car is FWD and, thus, the Malibu. Also, the fender on the VE reaches way up the A pillar, which is not the case on this vehicle.
 
YSSMAN
^ The standard Impala should be something like the Holden Calais, or thats what the GM stories have pointed to. But these two cars don't look anything alike, and GM isn't talking.
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Some parts of the covered up test car gives me an impression of Zeta platform while other parts are quite different. Then again I don't know what this Epsilon platform looks like either.


M5Power
To my knowledge that badge is only used on the sides of vehicles, not the front or rear. Then again so is the Impala badge.
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They do use the circular Chevy badge I posted on the front and back of rebadged Holdens for the middle east, I didn't realise they dont use them for front or rear of US Chevs.


L8 Apex
Also, the fender on the VE reaches way up the A pillar, which is not the case on this vehicle.
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Well if you look at this pic (below), the fender does follow up the A pillar a fair bit, not as much as they Calais render though.

3-2008-chevrolet-malibu-spied.jpg
 
I'm thinking this larger "Malibu" is being created to replace the outgoing W-Body Impala, and to better compete with Toyota's size change on the Camry.

Thus far, its the best answer I can come up with...
 
The new Camry might look bigger, but it's not - the 02-06 model was 189.2 inches, the exact same length as the 07+ model. Only the wheelbase increased.
 
Its the best answer I have for the current way the Malibu seems to be comming together. From what I understand from a few friends who work at GM (including my Uncle Ed), the next-gen Malibu could be here as early as next summer.

Engine options will be similar to that of the Saturn Aura's, the high-value 3.5L (224 BHP) and high-feature 3.6L (260+ BHP) are in the pipeline. No offical word on transmissions either, but an educated guess would lead most to belive that the 6-speed auto will come standard on the top-line LTZ and LT models, the rest maybe working with the 4T60E once again. There are also talks of a hybrid model and a diesel model as well, and a CVT variant for the gasoline engines doesn't seem out of the question there as well.

Uncle Ed did point out that the tail-lights look like they are stuck-on, and he thinks they may have put them there to fool us into thinking it was an Impala. He doesn't know for sure, as he hasn't done work for Chevrolet in some time. Lately he has been doing things for Buick and Cadillac, but he still talks to his friends about the new models quite often.

BTW: Chevrolet says they want this to be a Camry fighter, 110%. The G6 and Aura will be left to fight the Accord and 6, so that keeps this model more focused.

We will see what happens...
 
If GM wants this to be a Camry fighter, that will mean giving the vehicle three engines which they do not have (one of which is a hybird and another of which makes the vehicle about as quick as a Lamborghini Miura), quality which they can only dream of, and a reputation which they've long lost.

So, good luck!

:D

By the way, I love the current Malibu and I'm quite surprised they're re-tooling it already.
 
Hooray, another chevrolet Caprice :scared: This seems way too beefy to be a Malibu, but smaller than the Impala, maybe an entirely new sedan?
 
No word on the Caprice, but if they did decide to do it, you can bet it would be an upscale version of the Impala (like it used to be before Chevolet went crazy and made it the bottom-model), and be slightly larger as well.

The car looks huge, I would agree, but the problem is, unless something that we know is parked next to it, it is going to be very tough to judge the overall size of the car.
 
Looks like a Cobalt that went to all-you-can-eat night at Sizzler. I actually kinda like it, but it would be nice if they could give it more of its own identity.
 
Chevrolet_SS.jpg

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^ Thats what it looks like!
 
Hey I like the SS Concept! I also like this new, obese Malibu.... I would totally buy one if it came in a coupe.

EDIT: And GM does have the technology to make this car a Camry fighter. In regards to your comment about having an engine that would "make it about as fast as a Miura", GM does use superchargers, and if they did it to a Cobalt, they can do it to this (plus that would just make me want to buy it even more).
 
A coupe version wouldn't be completely out of the question given the success of the G6 coupe thus far, but I would expect Chevrolet to stick to sedans with this one.

On the build quality part: They can match Toyota, I know they can. Quite frankly, the new Camry isn't all that special in the build quality department (it feels cheaper than my Mom's '95 sedan), and I'd almost say the current Impala has a far better looking interior than that of the Camry. Yes, I said Impala, as while the current Malibu's is quite nice, it still feels a little plasticky... But with the new radio it looks a lot better.
 
The GMT900 SUVs are legitimate proof that GM can do nice interiors if they put their mind to it. Now all they have to do is get a clue and bring everything else they build up to that level.
 
LLN.com
There's no denying American automakers slipped behind their Japanese and German counterparts over the past two decades when it comes to cabin quality. In fact, one could easily argue American car companies were never really competitive in this regard.

Over the past year, General Motors made it clear it intends to change this. So it seems fitting the automaker would release an official teaser photo of the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu's interior. We have a good idea of what the exterior will look like, thanks to high-resolution spy shots, but the cabin has been a bit of a mystery — until now.

"The next-generation Chevrolet Malibu's interior showcases the precision and detailed execution that will differentiate it among the mid-size car segment," said Ed Peper, Chevrolet General Manager. "The 2008 Chevy Malibu will offer a number of striking and progressive interiors that use premium materials to demonstrate quality and value not seen before in this segment." The car will officially be unveiled in January at the Detroit auto show. Until then, we'll have to make due with the official interior teaser photo.
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Wow, very impressive interior shot. To be honest, I haven't seen a production interior like that in an American car, well, ever. From what I can see in the picture, that would appear to rival even that of the Lincoln MKZ, and this is a Chevrolet!

I mean sure, you can already identify a few "cheap" pieces (see the door panel, armrest switches, etc.) But as compared to the current interior (see below), this is a HUGE step forward for GM as a whole.

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I say it has a nice interior. Its all black, though. I'd like some aluminum accents.
 
(The new one is up top, the old one [black] is down below)
 
Holy crap, that is one nice interior. Very upscale looking, and yes, a few cheap bits (not to mention I'm not a fan of the passenger air vent at all), but I'd be happy to see that in a car a class above the Malibu, so at least on the interior front, GM has a good shot in my mind.

L8 Apex
The GMT900 SUVs are legitimate proof that GM can do nice interiors if they put their mind to it. Now all they have to do is get a clue and bring everything else they build up to that level.
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QFT.
 
I agree, quite a nice interior indeed.
 
That is pretty nice, both in terms of quality and design. It still won't be up to VW/Audi levels (who is?), but it looks like it should be in the same ballpark as Camry/Accord/Altima.

BTW, pardon my ignorance, but what's QFT? :confused:
 
That interior looks alright...but I'll hold off my final judgement when I FEEL the plastics. 👍
 
Well the Aura interior has a similar look in photos, so if it is anything like that, it should be on-par with that of the Japanese competition, but to different people the quality will represent different things. Doing my usual interior trim testing (knocking on panels, bending some plastics, pushing all the buttons) on the Aura, I came away impressed, but there were obvious places in which things needed to be improved. But when you have the solid dashboard like Volkswagen, sturdy buttons using high-quality plastic like Honda, and an overall look that is arguably more attractive than that of Toyota or Nissan, Chevrolet could come out a big winner.

What it is going to come down to here, at least for me, is how well the new E2 (Epsilon 2) chassis will be used here. Making guesses based on what GM has said and what the press has guesstimated so far based on test models, the ride should offer a good mix of American and European standards, and will hopefully cut-off the Japanese as they become more American with their cars (ie Camry).

I'm very eagerly anticipating the cars debut at Detroit early next year. Many of the local dealers were able to see the car, and all they say is that it is worth the wait... And thats a good thing, as GM needs this car right now...
 
JCE3000GT
That interior looks alright...but I'll hold off my final judgement when I FEEL the plastics. 👍
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Most definitely. The Mustang looks okay until you put your hands on it. *clink* :confused:

The layout is nice, the materials look nice, and -- for the first time in ages -- the detailing doesn't look like someone sneezed it out. Nice step up, Chevrolet. 👍
 
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