Northstar

XLR vs Mustang is a ridiculous comparison; they aren't meant to do the same thing at all. Try something where at least the number of seats is the same. G8 and 550i are both meant to get you to the party in style and quickly whether the road is straight or curving and do so in comfort. G8 lacks the 550i's materials, but it's as good from a performance standpoint and better in terms of interior room. They might be going to different parties (XLR and Mustang are almost definitely going to different parties), but the way the two cars get you there is almost the same.

Good points. Also, if it did 15k in March, that's probably a lower rate than what the average month will be. June, July August, September should be around 25k I would think... and the average will probably end up around 20k/month for this year. If GM can sell 250k Malibus and keep Impala at the same level without increasing fleet sales that is a huge number of retail sales. Eventually the Malibu should be doing 25k in the non-JJAS months and 30k in the JJAS months for a total of about 275k a year, I would think. Still not CamCord numbers, but it should at least gain attention in the marketplace and have a solid owner base when the EPII model comes out, which should be even better.

122% jump in Malibu retail sales (and considering overall it was slightly down, that shows how much they fleeted the old one)... and the Impala retail sales were up 16%. Perhaps the Malibu is drawing in buyers and some of them are going for the bigger and cheaper Impala, especially when they find that there are not many Malibus on the lot. Cobalt and Aveo are tanking, though. 777 G8s sold. Interesting number.

A commercial, or at least an internet commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrvFo2VosO0 OK, I guess, but they could have done something a little less juvenile. And why is the side-by-side of the profiles so short? The G8's is much better.

I'll see what my schedule looks like sooner to the date. I'd like to be able to make the trip, but we'll see what my schedule looks like closer to the date.

Have a good one, boys! Try not to get quite as shammered as I got 3 days ago.

Mustang V6: Female Mustang GT/Mach1/GT500/etc (ie with a V8): male

Haha, not tonight cause of my exams tomorrow, but ya'll better be careful tomorrow night I probably won't even get online though, so no Joshing incidents will occur.

Thanks guys. I'm celebrating my birthday after 8:30 tomorrow when I get out of my second exam of the day (Diffy Eq. and Physics E+M)... blah. I've spent probably 14 out of the last 24 hours studying and 6 of those were sleeping. What a great birthday, lol, full of studying.

The 18s on the G8 look so small (for 18s especially). That's too bad because those will probably be popular in states that see much snow (19s are summer-only tires). I don't see why GM didn't offer all-seasons on the 19s.

I searched for G8s on pontiac.com and there were no G8 GTs within 200 miles of my zip code. There were tons of V6s... tells me that the GTs must sell quickly.

That's interesting that the LTZs don't sell as well in Pittsburgh. Here, they stay on the lot for 2 days at most, it seems. Here is my problem with Malibu supply (at least around here). Local Chevy dealer: 3 Malibus. Local Honda dealer: 31 Accords. Local Toyota dealer: 48 Camrys. Local Saturn dealer: 17 Auras. There should be around 15-20 Malibus, I feel. 2 a day gives a 10 day supply. Even if the pace is only 1 a day that's still only 15-20 days supply.

How many were built last week? I assume more than the average for the year (slightly less than 5k/week). 5k/week is only 250k/year or so, which is good but not great. Nothing in your post explains why there shouldn't be more Malibus on the lots when they're selling like hotcakes. GM still sells a large number of vehicles. Note that while there are more brands, the market is a whole hell of a lot bigger than it used to be in terms of number of sales, too. According to Edmunds, LTZ Malibu buyers are paying about $1k over invoice, $500 below sticker. A 1LT with a few options with MSRP $22840 is selling for $22319, with an invoice of $21440. Seems like the Malibu is selling well above invoice to me.

There is a difference between 50 on the lot and 2 when you're selling 4 in a week when you only have 5. What's wrong with having 10 on the lot, even if you still sell only 4 in a week? At least the selection is better and you have the potential to sell more. 12k/month is probably 1/15th of the midsize car market. The Malibu is a much better car than that. It should own 2.5/15th of the midsize car market.

But the difference is the market for the Malibu is absolutely HUGE. The mid-size car market has to be at least 1.75 million or so (Camry + Accord + Altima is probably 1 million alone) and then you add the Impala, Malibu, Fusion, etc etc... there's no sense in limiting Malibu production unless it is not selling well, but it is FLYING off the lots. Limiting production below demand is DUMB. Production should equal demand at least, and it's not a bad idea to have some extras on the lots, either. Clearly the Malibu could be doing 20k/month, yet last month it did 12k. My dealer sold 3 of their 5 in one day and 4 of 5 this week. The most they have ever been able to keep on the lot at once is 5 or 6, and that lasts for maybe 2 days. My dealer is not that high volume either. From when I worked there, we were lucky to have 1 new car delivery per day. 2 was a very good day and three was almost unheard of, but the Malibu by itself had 3 in a day and 4 in a week this week!

They could at least paint that ugly thing the same color as the rest of the car. Guess that would be a good reason to buy one in black.

Ugh. That was really the best place they could find?

I saw 4 Malibus in a span on ~10 minutes today. They're popping up everywhere! Anyone have those production numbers?

Here is a base 07 G6 with 23k miles for $11k. You might be able to do quite well on a new G6 as well. Not sure about getting it down to $12k though. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2007-07-PON...tem230232008113

I don't remember if I4 G6s had manuals? G6s are quite cheap on the used market. Mazda6s depreciate very fast as well.

The fact that the DI V6 is only going to make 260HP in the Camaro is very odd. The only explanation I can think of is if they can tune it for fuel economy. For instance, if they can take a 230HP version of the 3.6L and add DI and get better fuel economy than the non-DI 3.6 that makes 260HP. I don't know if that's possible, but it's the only reason I can come up with for it to only have 260HP with DI. And the 3.6 in the Camaro is the DI version, I am sure of it.

The 4cyl would get sales from people that would otherwise not even consider the car, I think. WRX and EVO fans, for instance.

Does anyone have Malibu production numbers? I know Autonews has them, but I'm no longer a subscriber. I'd like to know because my dealer can't seem to keep more than 2 in stock at a time. They delivered 3 today and have another one on Friday, and therefore only have two left on the lot. I've never seen more than 3 on the lot at once, and every time I see that they get an LTZ in, I go the next day to see it and it's sold... I say: 1) Convert Fairfax only to Malibu for a while. My Saturn dealer has 20 Auras. That should last them at least a few months. 2) Convert Orion to 70% Malibu production. The G6 doesn't sell very well anyways, and it does so with huge incentives. It's quite obvious that the Malibu is ready to set the sales charts on fire. For some reason, it seems GM still wants to limit production on a car that is supposed to sell in huge numbers. It did 12k last month IIRC, which is good but it could be doing 20K+, I think, at least based on sales around here and the huge lack of supply. Anyone else have similar observations?

I think it's great that GM has the market covered. If you want FWD, the Malibu is a great choice, if you want RWD for under $30k, the G8 is top of the class.

QFT. Interior looks pretty nice, but the rest is complete crap.