GM aims to grab attention with revamped Chevrolet Malibu

Excerpt copied from The Detroit Free Press, by Nathan Bomey…..

 

“GM is introducing the two new options — a 2.5-liter standard four-cylinder and a 2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine — at the same time. The standard 2014 Malibu starts at $22,965.

The automaker also showed off two new television ads for the Malibu, featuring sentimental family scenes and a new tagline — “the car for the richest guys on Earth.” They will start appearing this week with Chevrolet buying significant time during the Major League Baseball playoffs.

To get consumers’ attention, Chris Perry, head of Chevrolet’s marketing,  said the automaker is promoting the upgraded Malibu the same way it would treat an all-new redesign. He said the Malibu media buy is bigger than Chevrolet’s campaign for the Sonic, but smaller than what it is spending on the Chevrolet Silverado.

Chevrolet will promote Malibu’s use of Apple’s Siri voice recognition technology that enables drivers to send text messages by speaking rather than typing on their iPhones. The system was first introduced in the Spark minicar.

GM is placing a heavy emphasis on the stop-start system, which turns the engine off briefly when the vehicle comes to a halt and instantly turns on the ignition when the driver accelerates.

Malibu chief engineer Todd Pawlik said his team worked to make the stop-start experience unnoticeable for drivers.

“If it’s seamless, it’s not even stop-start to them,” Pawlik said. “It’s just a good fuel economy vehicle.”

The standard 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine gets 36 miles per gallon on the highway and 25 m.p.g. in the city, up 2 m.p.g. and 3 m.p.g. respectively.”

Consumer Reports has named the Chevy Silverado 1500 its “top-rated truck.”

Here is an excerpt from Luisa Navarro’s article at CNNMoney:

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

The vehicle trumped Dodge’s Ram 1500, which came in second-place, the magazine announced on Tuesday.

The Silverado, made by General Motors (GM, Fortune 500), has a more ample cargo bed, several hundred pounds of greater payload capacity, and can also tow a heavier trailer — up to 11,200 pounds, the magazine said.

Plus, the Silverado’s easy-to-raise and lower tailgate, corner bump steps, and a lower step-in height make it more convenient for some consumers, it said

The magazine also found that Chevy’s truck delivered the best-in-class fuel economy of 16 mpg overall — one mpg more than the Ram.

Tuesday’s announcement is another win for General Motors and Chevrolet. Earlier this year, Consumer Reports gave the newly redesigned Impala sedan rave reviews. Previous generations of the Impala have scored at the bottom of its class in Consumer Reports’ tests.

Consumer Reports is considered to be the single most influential publication among car shoppers. Unlike other auto review outlets, the magazine doesn’t accept any advertising and it buys all the cars it tests, rather than relying on cars provided by manufacturers.

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