excerpt from - www.autoextremist.com/ RANT# 439 4/2/08

"...This is where great design comes in. Some people in this business still need to be reminded of the real impact of great design, which is shocking to me. You only have to look as far as the new Malibu to be reminded of the power of great design. Do you remember the previous model? Didn’t think so. It was swiftly relegated to Rental Car Land because it had all the presence of a fax machine.

GM did a superb job on the 2008 Malibu in every respect, and they even spent proper, big-time money on a comprehensive launch - for the first time in its history - in order to get the car into the public’s consciousness. But if the new Malibu didn’t have great design language inside and out, it wouldn’t be having near the impact on the market – or on the company’s bottom line – that it is today (transaction prices are up anywhere from $4,000 - $5,000 over the previous Malibu)."

It was swiftly relegated to Rental Car Land because it had all the presence of a fax machine.

Best line of the article. :D

Nice find - I still find it funny to think the interior was designed by a woman and I LOVE IT!

Best line of the article. :D
Funny and also true!

Whatever the sex of the designers - they nailed it, IMO.

Whatever the sex of the designers - they nailed it, IMO. Nailed it good! Everywhere you look there's beauty. The exterior styling is so sharp it can only be exceeded by the interior design.

I was going to move this thread into the Malibu News Forum, but then we couldn't post on it. :(

I get home from work last night and the wife tells me she had an interesting experience in the parking lot of our local convenience store.

Seems when she returned to the car she found an older couple walking around her Malibu and eventually peering into the windows. When the wife got close enough she asked them if they would like to open the doors and take a good look. "Sure", said the husband. They commenced to fuss over it for another 5 minutes and said, "Chevy is making the Malibu nice again". "They were nice a long time ago and now they're even nicer". I guess he was referring to the Malibu of the '60's? I did say they were older! The guy's wife fell in love with the interior.

The husband then told my wife they just bought a new car and pointed to their new Accord. The wife said you could see the buyers remorse in his face. ;)

Buyer's remorse LOL - my group and I had to rent a car down in NC for business - we got an accord and I HATED IT!!!

Buyer's remorse LOL - my group and I had to rent a car down in NC for business - we got an accord and I HATED IT!!!

I could never convince myself to buy the appliance of automobiles - the Accord.

I could never convince myself to buy the appliance of automobiles - the Accord.
I could never convince myself to buy the appliance of automobiles - the Accord.
The Accord is a fine vehicle, as you know. I just find it to be rather uninspiring. Very utilitarian. As you say Doug, "the appliance of automobiles".