Chevrolet Malibu sales jump 51.5%; dealers pleased

johngdole · 2009-02-08T04:00:53+00:00

"A sign of a good launch is where you go through the first 12 months,you actually end up making more money on the car 12 months out thanyou did in the first month, which is something we like to see."BY TIM HIGGINSFREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITERA little over a year after its launch, the redesigned Chevrolet Malibuis a bright spot for troubled General Motors Corp.When industrywide U.S. sales are down 18%, the Malibu -- whichcompetes in the hyper-competitive midsize car market -- finished 2008with U.S. sales up 51.5% from the year before.A new study by J.D. Power and Associates gives GM high marks for theMalibu launch, ranking it No. 3 among other launches in 2007. (The No.1 vehicle is another GM product, the Buick Enclave, an important modelfor the automaker but one that does not see as high a sales volume asthe Malibu, which is one of GM's best-selling cars.)Launching a new model is important for an automaker. After a car hasbeen on the market a year, a company has a good indication of howsuccessful the vehicle will be over its lifetime."It's absolutely critical that you get that first year right becausethat's where you're actually going to make a lot of your money and setthe standard for the years to come," said Dave Sargent, vice presidentof automotive research at J.D. Power. "Something like the Malibu --which launches very well, has very strong quality, very strong appealand the financial metrics look very good in the first year -- one cananticipate that as the vehicle continues into its second, third andfourth year those will tend to continue."The redesigned Malibu launched in November 2007 but, as is normallythe case, took several weeks to roll out to all of Chevrolet'sdealerships across the country. The new Malibu didn't hit its fullstride until January 2008, according to GM.In 2008, GM's U.S. dealerships sold 177,088 Malibu sedans -- 60,209more than in 2007.GM saw its overall U.S. sales drop 22.7% in 2008.The automaker is racing to complete a plan to present to the...

Feb 08, 2009 65 Replies

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Vic Smith 17 years ago

Good assumption, but nothing to do with it. Daytime lights on bikes have only proven good. Makes them more visible so you don't pull out in front of them and cause an accident. I've seen it work. Same for cars, especially the ones colored the same as the pavement, including bumpers. Seen that too.

As I said, they are standard on U.S./Canada GM vehicles - as far as I know. DRL's are the law in Canada. Easier to standardize production. Congress should give Canada the "facts" about DRL's. Include that crap free with the "Waterboarding Manual." Congress conclude? Might be a good idea. Probably got paid by some anti-DRL greenie wackos via lobbyists. DRL's burning use some gas, adding to global warming. Are you part of that crowd? Don't worry about it. You can bypass DRL's in the U.S. and do your part to reduce global warming. Turn down the heat in the house just to be sure. I don't care much about DRL's one way or another, except for arguing More concerned that my toaster doesn't zap me when I stick a fork in there. So I don't.

--Vic

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SMS 17 years ago

GM is part of that crowd. They got permission to disconnect DRLs when conducting their EPA mileage tests. Considering that the amount of extra fuel that DRLs use is extremely small, you have to wonder why they felt compelled to disconnect them.

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80 Knight 17 years ago

That is called "driver error". Has nothing to do with the DRL system.

Oh boy the NHTSA did a report! Seriously, neither you nor the NHTSA can tell me what bothers my eyes at night, or anytime. DRL's have been standard in Canada for years, and no one here complains about them. If you live in a US state where DRL's are not required by law, and wish to disable them, that is what you need to do. Like I said, agree to disagree.

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SMS 17 years ago

Not you specifically, but 80% of the population.

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Mike Hunter 17 years ago

you got that right! One will see Pennsylvania State Police stopping Canadian drivers, on I-81 most any evening, for not turning on their headlamps. A $132 'donation' to the states road system LOL

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