2008 Malibu: Bank Robber Commercial
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From: Sterling Heights, MI
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From: Omaha, NE
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From: Ontario
I wonder what owners of the older Malibus think of the shots being taken at their cars by the manufacturer? It's kind of an odd scenario. "Yes, our old products were inferior and forgettable. Thanks for buying one, dumbass. Now take a look at our new one, one we actually gave a second thought to."
This applies perfectly to the Malibus: when the Corsica came out GM proclaimed it to be better than Accord and Camry. Then when Malibu replaced it in 1997, they said "sorry, the Corsica was kinda crappy, but here's the great new Malibu." Then when the Epsilon Malibu replaced it in 2004, they said "sorry, the old Malibu was a bit of dog, but we've turned over a new leaf and here's the new and improved Malibu." Now it's 2008, and guess what they're saying again?
Actually, to be fair the current Epsilon Malibu isn't a bad car, just tremendously boring and a bit cheap. I personally think the 1997 Malibu is the best looking of the 3, although the Ep II Malibu could change that with an improved nose and tail.
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Joined: Aug 2002
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From: Indianapolis, IN
That's been GM's standard operating procedure for quite a while. A new model comes out and they proclaim it to be the greatest vehicle they've ever produced; much better than the one it replaced. Then 5 or 6 years later, when they get around to replacing that 'new' model, they admit that it really wasn't up to par either. And the cycle continues.
This applies perfectly to the Malibus: when the Corsica came out GM proclaimed it to be better than Accord and Camry. Then when Malibu replaced it in 1997, they said "sorry, the Corsica was kinda crappy, but here's the great new Malibu." Then when the Epsilon Malibu replaced it in 2004, they said "sorry, the old Malibu was a bit of dog, but we've turned over a new leaf and here's the new and improved Malibu." Now it's 2008, and guess what they're saying again?
Actually, to be fair the current Epsilon Malibu isn't a bad car, just tremendously boring and a bit cheap. I personally think the 1997 Malibu is the best looking of the 3, although the Ep II Malibu could change that with an improved nose and tail.
This applies perfectly to the Malibus: when the Corsica came out GM proclaimed it to be better than Accord and Camry. Then when Malibu replaced it in 1997, they said "sorry, the Corsica was kinda crappy, but here's the great new Malibu." Then when the Epsilon Malibu replaced it in 2004, they said "sorry, the old Malibu was a bit of dog, but we've turned over a new leaf and here's the new and improved Malibu." Now it's 2008, and guess what they're saying again?
Actually, to be fair the current Epsilon Malibu isn't a bad car, just tremendously boring and a bit cheap. I personally think the 1997 Malibu is the best looking of the 3, although the Ep II Malibu could change that with an improved nose and tail.
I would hope that ANY manufacturer, when releasing a redesigned version of an existing car (e.g. Accord, Camry, Altima, Malibu, etc.), intends to better the previous version with the newer one. Cars are always improving...otherwise they die.
Styling of course is a personal preference thing, but cars typically make advances in technology, safety, creature comforts, NVH, bells & whistles, horsepower and/or fuel economy, build quality, fit/finish, and reliability. Get into an Accord from '97 and compare it to the new one...
Every automaker talks about the improvements made vs. the previous version. "The new platform is XXX% stiffer in bending and torsion than the previous version." "The new engine makes 15% more horsepower and gets better fuel economy than the previous engine." "The new model has a total of 8 airbags to protect you in a crash..."
Are they saying the previous cars were "inferior"? I don't think so...Just that the new one is better.
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From: Far, far away
That's been GM's standard operating procedure for quite a while. A new model comes out and they proclaim it to be the greatest vehicle they've ever produced; much better than the one it replaced. Then 5 or 6 years later, when they get around to replacing that 'new' model, they admit that it really wasn't up to par either. And the cycle continues.
This applies perfectly to the Malibus: when the Corsica came out GM proclaimed it to be better than Accord and Camry. Then when Malibu replaced it in 1997, they said "sorry, the Corsica was kinda crappy, but here's the great new Malibu." Then when the Epsilon Malibu replaced it in 2004, they said "sorry, the old Malibu was a bit of dog, but we've turned over a new leaf and here's the new and improved Malibu." Now it's 2008, and guess what they're saying again?
Actually, to be fair the current Epsilon Malibu isn't a bad car, just tremendously boring and a bit cheap. I personally think the 1997 Malibu is the best looking of the 3, although the Ep II Malibu could change that with an improved nose and tail.
This applies perfectly to the Malibus: when the Corsica came out GM proclaimed it to be better than Accord and Camry. Then when Malibu replaced it in 1997, they said "sorry, the Corsica was kinda crappy, but here's the great new Malibu." Then when the Epsilon Malibu replaced it in 2004, they said "sorry, the old Malibu was a bit of dog, but we've turned over a new leaf and here's the new and improved Malibu." Now it's 2008, and guess what they're saying again?
Actually, to be fair the current Epsilon Malibu isn't a bad car, just tremendously boring and a bit cheap. I personally think the 1997 Malibu is the best looking of the 3, although the Ep II Malibu could change that with an improved nose and tail.
Yea let's release a product and not tout it as the best one we have ever made. That would inspire confidence and help convince people to buy.
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From: Ontario
But aside from that, I've often heard GM go a step further and bad-mouth the outgoing model, usually in a more informal medium such as quotes given during interviews or product reviews. I think the reason is that GM is perpetually telling us they're turning the corner, so in order to gain some credibility when talking about their supposedly great new models, they have to be honest about the outgoing one. If GM were to say, for example, "our minivans are still awesome and the best in the market even after being on sale for 12 years ... and the new Lamdas are even better!", well, you'd pretty much discount the whole thing as BS.
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From: Commerce, mi, USA
Chevy's got some pretty good marketing now. But this Mustang ad still makes me laugh, I love it! 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BQXD5Vf27U&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BQXD5Vf27U&NR=1
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