GM's Chevy Malibu: Will Ad Blitz Turn Heads?

Source: chevrolet.com

2008 Chevy Malibu

Get ready. Here comes one of the biggest ad and marketing blitzes of the year. On TV, in magazines and on the internet--especially the internet--GM is out to prove it can still make a car we want.

It's the long anticipated redesign of the Chevy Malibu, the mid-size sedan GM needs to beat Toyota and Honda in car sales. Every year GM faces a critical rollout and for 2007 it's the Malibu.

From my perspective the Malibu (sticker: $19,300- 26,300) should do well. It's exterior has been stretched and given a slightly more aggressive look so it's no longer a yawner at first glance. But the biggest improvement is the interior. Gone is the blandness, replaced by a center console and styling you typically find in a Toyota or Nissan sedan. Sounds great right?

The problem is the car market has been dominated for so long by the Camry, Accord, and Corolla that many people have written of the Malibu. In the lower end of the mid-size car market, the Malibu trails Nissan Altima, Pontiac G6, and Hyundai Sonata.

So let's see if Chevy can turn some heads with this Malibu blitz. If it does, GM may just prove it still can build cars we care about.

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