Cruze: Not much to look at, probably not very exciting to drive.

Next gen Malibu: The camo'd pics don't make my heart pitter patter. No fun versions planned.

Aveo: meh.

 

caprice



Plus whenever they release the Z28

 

Z284ever, I thought you were excited about the Aveo RS?

556HP Z28 is coming out, Camaro convertible, and a new Corvette should be out in 2 years. Maybe this Malibu will get a manual trans.

 

Chevrolet = American Toyota

I thought that has been pretty clear for a while now. *shrug*

 

I don't think "on the road to boredom" is accurate, more like been languishing there for a while now...

 

Camaro may not be your cup of tea, but it certainly isn't boring. Plus there is the Vette.

However, it does look like we'll have a few less "SS" / "Sport" models available. No new Equinox SS, no Cruze SS, no Trailblazer SS. Does the Colorado still offer the ZQ8 suspension setup? That, combined with the V8, would be a fun combination.

As for the Malibu, it isn't like the current one is particularly sporty, though it is still a sharp looking car. It would be nice to see a sportier version. I always sort of liked the SS version of the previous gen Malibu. It looked kinda sharp on the 18s, and the 3.9L probably moved it decently. They could drop a DI 3.6L with ~300hp in the new (or current...) Malibu and tune up the suspension a bit. That would be a nice ride.

If they did that, plus a sport version of the Aveo, they'd be more or less on track. I wouldn't expect a sport version of the Traverse or the full size trucks any time soon...

 

I don't mean to speak for Charlie, but there are concerns that A) the concept is much more aggressive looking than the actual production version will be and/or B) The car will be a pure styling exercise without the hot parts to match.

Special 5th Gen models are all well and good, and we can't wait for C7, but it's the bread and butter vehicles that are shaping up to be a bit conservative. But they are, after all, bread and butter cars.

 

Trucks aren't the cash cows they once were. "Boring" cars "pay the bills" so there can be a fun car or two.

With that said though, I still think there should be a cruze ss, the "tuner" market is too big to ignore.

 

The Aveo RS will just consist of a handful of cosmetic shiny bits.

 

I like the look and proportions of the current Malibu, but as you said, GM never gave us a fun version of it. The next one sounds like it'll be even less fun.

See below:

 

This is a rendering by Insideline of the next Malibu without camo.

 

Egads! I hope the real nose it better looking than the one in that rendering...

I also dig the 4 lug wheels...

 

That Malibu rendering is hideous! It looks like an overly excited Camry.

 

That looks like the current car with the grill raised up... a lot, and new taillights.

 

What a terrible photoshop




Looks nothing like this



The next Malibu is NOT a Chevy Epica with a different grill