2008 Malibu spied!

[GMan]

http://news.windingroad.com/?p=814

[cmattson]

I'm curious to see the headlight details; but the rest of the car looks very, very nice. Isn't the '08 Malibu supposed to be based on the stretched Epsilon (lik the G6 / Malibu Maxx)? I really like how they've move the grill out towards the edge of the bumper. It looks modern - and as far as I can tell, it doesn't look plain-jane -- something that cannot be said for today's Malibu.

[NOS2006]

Very impressive so far. I think GM's going to impress the world in the next 3 years.

[FAPTurbo]

Looks nice, especially as a replacement for the Malibu.

If it looks this good, wait 'till the Impala.

[Satty]

Sure its not a blue devil mule? :wink:

It looks like....a sedan with a bunch of camo with headlights that look like they were influenced by TVR. I'll wait for some real pics.

[PurdueGuy]

Looks like it will be a VERY nice looking car. Good enough to get Chevy lovers to stop being jealous of the Aura...

[NOS2006]

Is it just me or does anybody else see a lot of Lucerne in it?

[Intrepidation]

Why does the site where the spyshots are on say it's the Impala if this thread says it's the Malibu? Either way it looks very nice

[NOS2006]

Why does the site where the spyshots are on say it's the Impala if this thread says it's the Malibu? Either way it looks very nice

173385[/snapback]

This is NOT the Impala. Looks way more Malibu than Impala. Plus, we've been getting news for awhile (rumors at least) that the Impala will have quite a few retro clues..

[enzl]

Looks good. Possibly dramatic & traditionally handsome at the same time? We can only hope...

Chevy has a generation of disappointed import-intenders to grab with this product, if they hit their mark.

[Intrepidation]

This is NOT the Impala. Looks way more Malibu than Impala. Plus, we've been getting news for awhile (rumors at least) that the Impala will have quite a few retro clues..

173386[/snapback]

Then this is one hell of a nicer car the the current ugly Malibu

[NOS2006]

Then this is one hell of a nicer car the the current ugly Malibu

173395[/snapback]

Well, compare the current CTS to what we're getting :AH-HA_wink:

[Intrepidation]

Well, compare the current CTS to what we're getting :AH-HA_wink:

173401[/snapback]

Yeah, but the CTS still looks nice on the outside...can't say the same for the current Malibu

[Satty]

A bunch of camo? There is hardly any. Also those light clusters are just tacked on and dont represent what you'll see on the final car at all.

173387[/snapback]

You know what I mean, enough camo to disguise it to the point where you dont know exactly whats coming up./ Besides if its anything like most GMs it'll look better in person than in pics. The pics dont make the car look bad but they dont make it look awesome in my eyes. I'll have to wait.

[Northstar]

Yep, that's the Malibu, and it looks great! You can tell it's the Malibu because we've already seen an illustration of the Malibu's interior, and what little you can see of the interior matches the illustration.

It seems GM may have a huge hit on their hands with this one!

[Paolino]

Why does the site where the spyshots are on say it's the Impala if this thread says it's the Malibu? Either way it looks very nice

173385[/snapback]

Dude... don't go by what the site says... afterall, they mention it looks a lot like the "Pontiac Lucerne". Yeah. How do you f@#k that one up?

I think it's gorgeous--the next gen Malibu is definitely going to boost sales... hell, dare I say, it might be a Malibu I'd consider!

[Paolino]

By the way... do we know when in 2007 we're going to see the 08 Malibu released?

[Supremus]

Hmmm... now I understand the rumours about the new Malibu being Audi-esque:

This looks nicer than Aura, G6, Accord and Camry. It's a winner.

Edited July 30, 2006 by Supremus

[Matt276]

Yesssss! Finally. So nice. It's time to buy stock, cause GM will be making a lot of money with products like that.

After the lease of my Cobalt, I'd like to get a new hybrid Malibu.

[regfootball]

i see a lot of things

an A4/S class/A8 sort of rear gait. a german stance in the rear which is nice. thankfully, they spat in the face of Chris Bangle and didn't try to copy a BMW.

a slightly camryish front end shaping

an evolution of the currently yecky snout and also a little impala

some impala in the green house

tsx'ie from the rear 3/4

a tiny bit of similarity to the aura in the door shaping

some Lucerne to it

the grille shaping is evocative of the CTS

the doors themselves look very long which suggest mondo legroom

i'll wait till i see a production version. i think it has potential but i am not impressed so far. front end is kinda stubby and chunky like so many new cars these days.

at least this car has length to it, which makes it appear much nicer than the current version.

at least it looks good. Watch GM f it up with pushrod engines and a cheap interior. THAT will impress me, if they keep the beancounters away from it long enough to put at least ONE DOHC engine with a 6 speed in it and also plastic and dash that doesn't make me wretch.

CD/BP...did you get schooled by Hans on this one?

GMI got schooled. its not on their site yet from what i can tell.

Edited July 30, 2006 by regfootball

[NightRunner06]

Its way too big to be a Malibu. The Lucerne is bigger than the Malibu...which means it cant be a Malibu.

[regfootball]

Its way too big to be a Malibu. The Lucerne is bigger than the Malibu...which means it cant be a Malibu.

173437[/snapback]

the malibu was upsizing to the impala size so the impala can go rwd

[regfootball]

wait, that article said it was the Impala.......and the front end overhang suggests fwd

Edited July 30, 2006 by regfootball

[pow]

Wow, I like it... it looks good.

[pow]

i see a lot of things

an A4/S class/A8 sort of rear gait.  a german stance in the rear which is nice.  thankfully, they spat in the face of Chris Bangle and didn't try to copy a BMW.

a slightly camryish front end shaping

an evolution of the currently yecky snout and also a little impala

some impala in the green house

tsx'ie from the rear 3/4

a tiny bit of similarity to the aura in the door shaping

some Lucerne to it

the grille shaping is evocative of the CTS

173431[/snapback]

Also a bit of Volvo S40 in the front end, particularly the hood opening and upper "fenders". The side profile is Phaetonesque.

[mustang84]

Well, I decided to break out the old drawing pencil and do a quick interpretation sketch based on the spy photos:

[regfootball]

Schooled by Hans? Hans' guy has it as the 2008 Impala! Tis clearly the '08 Malibu.

I just talked to Brenda and she's staked out on the car as we speak.

173446[/snapback]

dude, you are ON TOP OF IT!!!!! lol time to get that instrument panel first! and the 'plug in hybrid badge' too.......i'm sure they pulled that from Saab so the Malibu could outdo the camry hybrid as being the first plug in

Edited July 30, 2006 by regfootball

[regfootball]

Also a bit of Volvo S40 in the front end, particularly the hood opening and upper "fenders". The side profile is Phaetonesque.

173450[/snapback]

i thought volvo and phaeton also. although i thought more s60 than s40

[ToniCipriani]

Not sure if I like the rear. It looks a bit like a stretched Civic.

But anyhow, final judgement when it comes.

BTW, when did the Lucerne became a Pontiac?

Edited July 30, 2006 by ToniCipriani

[regfootball]

Not sure if I like the rear. It looks a bit like a stretched Civic.

But anyhow, final judgement when it comes.

173459[/snapback]

agree on the civic comment too. i thought i saw 'huge civic' in one shot.

[trinacriabob]

Nice shape, overall...like the fact that they are gravitating toward those door handles. Yes, an improvement over the current Malibu. However, I don't like the rear pinhole lights. Too weak for the available space. I thinkthe front grille is also a little too big.

It is better, but it could be even better.

Edited July 31, 2006 by trinacriabob

[ToniCipriani]

I wonder if the SS and regular models get different bodywork other than side skirts?

[trinacriabob]

I just talked to Brenda and she's staked out on the car as we speak.

173446[/snapback]

And how is Brenda, our husky-voice cocktail waitress? :AH-HA_wink:

(How'd she get into that line of work, anyway?)

[VenSeattle]

At what point where a vehicle can resemble a dozen+ current/recently released vehicles does the styling just become modern?

I think it looks great so far. Backseat appears to have functional headrests.

[CSpec]

I don't like the grill area that much, but the rest looks great. Very well proportioned. Hopefully they fixed up the driving dynamics that have plagued other Epsilons...

[bdubsee]

Looking good but if the rumored death of the Maxx is true then I will have to look elsewhere. Can anyone confirm the death of the Maxx?

[NOS2006]

Looking good but if the rumored death of the Maxx is true then I will have to look elsewhere.  Can anyone confirm the death of the Maxx?

173497[/snapback]

I can't confirm nor deny anything, but I wouldn't be shocked if the Impala got a wagon version instead of the Malibu getting a MAXX version.

I don't like the grill area that much, but the rest looks great.

173495[/snapback]

Really? I really like it. Much better looking than what they've got on the road now, that's for damn sure.. Edited July 30, 2006 by NOS2006

[nzr]

Schooled by Hans? Hans' guy has it as the 2008 Impala! Tis clearly the '08 Malibu.

I just talked to Brenda and she's staked out on the car as we speak.

173446[/snapback]

Really? Can she get some inside pictures?

Edited July 31, 2006 by nzr

[I hope GMRULES again]

Not sure. The cars have covers on them and a security guard posted.

173518[/snapback]

You know where this car is?

[regfootball]

if he told you, he'd have to .....

[mikehamm45]

Guys, this makes no sense.

This thing looks just as big as the the Lucerene, and looks like it is a rebadge of the Lucerene.

Comparing it to the other vehicles on the road shot next to it sort of confirms this. I honestly don't understand this.

Wasn't there some sort of pictures or drawings of spy Malibu shots hanging out on the net some time ago? If someone still has them, please post them. I do not remember those looking like a Lucerene.

Could they just be using the Lucerene as a mule? But that does not make sense either because of how nicely done the door panels, rear, and grill look.

I would be more than happy if the current Impala was redone as an Lucerene rebadge untill it moved to RWD in the near future as I currenty loath the way the current Impala looks. But that does not make any sense either as they spent so much money on the current Impala and it has been selling nice and relatevely reviewed with posistive snipits from the press.

If this the new Malibu, then why would anyone buy the current Impala? If its as big or bigger (as it appears in these specific photos) and it looks a whole lot nicer. Unless by the time this comes out the Impala would have been moved to RWD looking like something made by Holden. But even then, the Impala is a mass market vehicle with potential to hit over 400,000 units per year (with fleet) and Holden does not have that sort of capacity, and the UAW would not allow it.

This car does borrow slight styling clues from the SS concept car, but it does not have the curvy overhangs or the masculine stance.

Sorry guys, but this appears to be a rebadge of the Lucerene, so we can expect the same ole horizontal dash setup, FWD, 3800 pushrod, hydramatic 4 speed, and boat-like steering wheel. However, I do hope that I am wrong, I am just not going to hold my breath over it.

These pictures are very confusing and only cloud the future of RWD for Chevy.

[ehaase]

It looks more like a Chevy version of the Saturn Aura than the Lucerne to me. I think it's a very attractive car.

[mute]

im impressed

[mikehamm45]

Looks as big and very close to the Lucerene to me.

[Paolino]

I don't know why people keep saying it looks so big... bigger than the current Malibu, yes, but by no way near the size of the Lucerne.

[VenSeattle]

Wouldn't it be funny if they actually decided to base the next Malibu on the G-Platform since EPSII wasn't ready yet?!? LOL

I think that would be awesome but 100% unlikely. Oh well. I'm definitely convinced this is the Malibu. This vehicle is not RWD.

[Paolino]

Wouldn't it be funny if they actually decided to base the next Malibu on the G-Platform since EPSII wasn't ready yet?!? LOL

I think that would be awesome but 100% unlikely. Oh well. I'm definitely convinced this is the Malibu. This vehicle is not RWD.

173547[/snapback]

Bite your tongue! :AH-HA_wink:

I would assume this is the Malibu only because I doubt we'd see the Impala so unmasked when it's debut is so far in the future.

[Robert Hall]

It looks more like a Chevy version of the Saturn Aura than the Lucerne to me.  I think it's a very attractive car.

173534[/snapback]

That's the way I'm seeing it..the A-pillars, windshield, doors, mirrors, door handles, all look very similar to the Aura.. It's definitely a FWD Epsy... looks good, definitely an improvement over the current model.

[ehaase]

I think he's dead wrong, but GuionM on the Camaro Z28 board thinks this car is a Lucerne based 2008 Impala.

http://64.65.63.61/forums/showthread.php?p...476#post4005476

[bdubsee]

I can't confirm nor deny anything, but I wouldn't be shocked if the Impala got a wagon version instead of the Malibu getting a MAXX version.

173499[/snapback]

You've given me something to look forward to. I love my Maxx and wish that I'd leased it for more than 24 months...I've got to give it back in 87 days. Maybe I'lll pick up a 9-3 SportCombi as a stop gap.

Edited July 31, 2006 by bdubsee