Normally, automakers present a mid-cycle update approximately three to four years after the launch of a new model. If a refresh comes earlier, this means that a car manufacturer is disappointed by the way it has been received by consumers, the media or both.
Such was the case with the 2012 Honda Civic that received a makeover only 18 months after its conception, with the 2013 model making its official debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show last week.
Honda isn’t the only company to go down this road as General Motors is also planning to revamp one of its newest entries in the market, the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu.
Speaking to Automotive News, GM CEO Dan Akerson revealed that the company isn't happy with the mid-size sedan's soft early sales and the mediocre reviews it received by magazines, so it has decided to hurry in a facelift for late next year, only about 18 months after its market launch.
"We are going to do a midcycle enhancement, not dramatic, by this time next year," Akerson told the publication, adding that the revisions will include a new fascia.
"I think it's a good car. It'll do OK," Akerson said. "It is a tough segment and it's one we need to be successful in. We'll see how it plays out."
While the Malibu's deliveries have actually increased 4 percent this year through October to 189,094, according to Autonews, for the most part of 2012, these sales include heavily discounted examples of the outgoing 2012 Malibu. When dealers started pushing out more 2013MYs in September and October, the car's sales dipped around 3 percent.
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![2013-Chevrolet-Malibu-[2]](http://lh4.ggpht.com/-TFMvHi_5IN8/UMDQEuB1_fI/AAAAAAAKiwc/ylJuRUb0vV8/s1600-h/2013-Chevrolet-Malibu-%25255B2%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg "2013-Chevrolet-Malibu-[2]")
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18 Comments:
Never noticed how much that looks like a Subaru Legacy at the nose.
The front isn't so much an issue as the rear. Total step backwards.
It will go from an anonymous mediocre boring rental car to a slightly less anonymous mediocre boring rental car. WOW
Please change the look of the rear deck lid I hate that square look it has. Is it just me..
thats stupid. people(journalists) mainly complained about the interior materials and exterior looks on the civic so they changed the interior and exterior and then some with the suspension tweeks and added interior insulation. people are complaining about lack of rear leg room and bad fuel economy on the malibu, so they are changing the styling?
Not surprising at all, while the Civic got bad reviews at least it still sold well compared to this POS that not only got bad reviews but also no one in their right mind would but this over what else is out there. I mean common this was supposed to be a world car lol, well maybe let the Koreans develop the next one or just re badge a Hyunadi or something, that's how bad it has gotten with GM. While the Cruze is somewhat acceptable this is a joke.
What exactly is a nose job going to do anyways, a lot more needs to be done in a competitive market.
I don't think the exterior design is the problem. It actually looks better than the outgoing model. They'll probably put on the Hondaish grille from the new Impala.
Terrible, awful... revolting. There's nothing Chevy makes that I would buy.
That's what I say. It's not the front that needs the most help, it's those ridiculous wanna-be Camaro taillights that need to go.
Well that's just great for you. Would you like a cookie?
Yeah, because four-door mid-sized sedans say EXCITING!!! What a world we live in when all we're are offered for sports cars are four-door sedans that we make comparisons with. Lame.
Agree. Sometimes I wonder how design this bad gets through the approval process. That plus the fact that the front looks almost identical to the previous generation, makes the Malibu unappealing at one end and boring at the other. No wonder sales are lagging.
That car is absolutely gorgeous! I heard about this re-make when I was speaking with a sales representative at Chevrolet Grand Rapids. He told me about the complete do-over and I felt the need to investigate. Awesome car, I really wish I didn't have to wait a year to see it.
had to reply to this. The mid-size sedan market can be a bland variety, true. However some of the options are nice, good looking cars. Competition is stiff.
I've driven em all. Chevy was closer with the last gen Malibu, IMO, but I'd never buy either on the interiors alone. This car honestly blows. It's trying so hard on the outside, it's just wrong on the inside, and there's no comparing the way it drives to an accord or camry. Nothing about it says "humble luxury" the way it should in this segment. . .I'm not joking, but at this point, you could strip all the badges and compare it to a new chinese-built car. . . I'll be able to tell which one is the chevy because it will be the worse of the two.
good luck GM but I dont think the core problem is really the car. then again maybe it's all just a conspiracy to sell more Buicks. . .
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Malibus and all other Chevelles were completely restyled for 1968 with semi-fastback rooflines on two-door hardtops and wheelbases split to 112 inches (2,800 mm) on two-door models and 116 for four-door sedans and station wagons. Engine offerings included a new 307-cubic-inch (5.0 L) V8 rated at 200 horsepower (150 kW) that replaced the 283-cubic-inch (4.6 L) V8 that had served as the base V8 since the Chevelle's introduction in 1964. Inside was a new instrument panel featuring round gauges in square pods similar to what would appear in Camaros the following year. New for 1968 was the Concours luxury option for Malibu sedans and coupes that included upgraded cloth or vinyl bench seats, carpeted lower door panels, woodgrain trim on dash and door panels, and Concours nameplates. There was again a top-line Concours Estate wagon with simulated woodgrain trim that had the same interior and exterior appointments as the Malibu sedans.
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Chevy Malibu New Hampshire
I liked the elegant side profile of the '08-'12 Malibu better. Especially from a side view, the old car's seams, creases, rocker panel design, and belt line had a consistent, horizontal flow. I want to like the 2013, but the side profile and details visually throw me: a rising belt line which terminates clumsily into the C-pillar. After which point there is a cluster of seams blisters and planes. There is no balance and flow.
Remember when Subaru made the Tribeca more generic looking because of criticism that the styling was too out there? And then it sold even less! Maybe it needs to have a more comfortable back seat?
my 1997 pontiac grand prix gtp looks a lot more exciting than this...
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