Bobbie Thomas, host of the Style Network's show Fashion Police was on hand at this morning's debut of the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, giving Chevy General Manager Ed Peper a crash course in Fashion 101 before the Malibu made its way to the stage.
Strangely, after all of this high-fashion hype, Peper appeared in a sedate gray suit and the Malibu with just an average gray paint job. But despite the uninspiring paint the Malibu's makeover looks promising. It gets more power from a new pair of engines, a 252-horsepower 3.6-liter V6 and a 164-hp 2.4-liter four-cylinder, plus a completely new interior replaces the old Malibu's cheap, dated cabin...
Peper says that the 2008 Malibu will start around $20,000 for the base model and that a hybrid model is also expected near the start of Malibu production. --Kelly Toepke
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Yes agreed. It looks great... it's a sure stand out among the rows of cars at the airport rental lot.
Once a rental, always a rental, hard to loose that stigma.
That is a great looking car. I like the Passat rear end and the mesh grille. The fenders remind me of the Silverados (Silveradoes?) with the ziggurat-like front end. It's a nice touch and I hope Chevy continues to use it.
the more I look at it, the more I love it. I don't know if it is the paint but the lack of panel gaps is astonishing for a Chevrolet. When the teaser came out, it looked like the front end was one big piece of metal. This must be the LTZ model with the chrome grill since other photos i've seen have black.
I own a Nissan and would consider this car when I go shopping.
It looks absolutely pretty. I like it.
I like it all except the rear as it seems to be adapted from a different car. Its almost as if they got to the rear and ran out of ideas. The rest is pretty stylish. Good job GM!
LP
I really wish that I liked the rear end more.
Nice inside and out; powertrain is up to class standard either. However, after looking at this interiors, it's getting harder to buy Pontiac or Buick now.
I think GM just slapped Toyota in the face and said, "I'm back you over-hyped jelly bean* design firm"*You'll understand this reference if you've seen the 2007 camry and yaris front ends
Im not to fond of current Toyota designs (excluding Tundra/CamrySE, sorry dad) but the Camry in SE trim looks pretty damn good. Its proportioned right and I like the blunt nose, especially from the side view. The stout Toyota V6 seems to be best in class. To bad the SE isnt as sporty as it looks.
The interior of this particular BOO LEE MAL looks promising as I like the color inserts and how the dash flows. GM FINALLY seems to be getting better at interior design as well as offering better materials, fit/finish.
LP
I'm glad GM did what they did to this car. I agree that GM is getting better a interiors, look at the new CTS.
This car looks very good to my eyes. Even the back is nice. The current camry is OK in SE guise but it cant get with this.
Yes. The Camry looks especially good in SE guise.
The butt of the Camry is no better than the Malibu though.
Way to step up your game GM. Great looking car.
I love the way the Malibu looks and I think GM is on the right track from a design point of view. Everything they have done at Saturn is great. I just worry about getting into this car and finding all the cost cutting cheap plastic bits.
I love what I've seen and read about this car. As for the Camry- I haven't been impressed on the interior materials, fit, and finish. And the exterior styling is horrendous, especially the wart on the nose where they stuck the Toyota emblem. The SE exterior would be pretty sharp though, (especially in black) if they got rid of the bump.
The current Camry is crap. Too many embossed, raised edges, nothing flows, looks like a big boat dropped on 4 wheels-rear end is hideous, front bull nosed hood with fender humps?!!?!
This Chevy is where US car makers need to go. THis is a sweet looking car. I am not a fan of domestic cars and this is one that I like.
Man, just glanced over the pics again, very nice. I like the Passat influence.
I like it. the back end is new but i like it.
i agree that toyotas are the king of ugly... every car they make is butt ugly.. that tacoma has to be the ugliest pickup truck ive ever seen.. havent seen the turdra in person yet but pics are ugleeeeeeeeeee
Go GM! I sat in one, and DAMN, the fit and finish is way better than the Camry I sat in!