Chevy Malibu emergency refresh to include roomier rear seats, Impala styling tweaks

The Chevrolet Malibu is failing to sell at the pace General Motors would like, prompting the automaker to make the decision to refresh the midsize sedan just one year after a complete redesign. According to a report from Newsday, the main gripes from consumers center around the car's tepid styling and lack of room in the rear seat.

Naturally, styling is subjective, but the report indicates GM plans to bring the Malibu's styling more inline with its larger Impala sedan, making changes mostly to the front fascia. As far as rear-seat room goes, it's worth noting that the 2013 Malibu actually has less legroom than the old 2012 model; 36.9 inches versus 37.6. Shoulder and hip room, though, increased by two and three inches, respectively, with the redesign.

In any case, without major structural changes, there's no way the Malibu will reach the rear legroom levels set by such large so-called midsize sedans like the Honda Accord (38.5 inches) or Volkswagen Passat (39.1) due to the fact that it's sized to be a global car and not one specifically for the US market. And, considering the impending existence of the 2014 Impala, we don't expect any major structural changes to affect the Malibu's interior offerings.

It's somewhat unusual for an automaker to make such significant changes to a car after only one year of production. But with all of the hype surrounding the emergency refresh of the 2013 Honda Civic, this sort of thing could become more common moving forward.

News Source: Bloomberg via Newsday

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GM's Reuss says rear-wheel drive Scion FR-S rival "on the list"

According to Australian site CarSales.com.au, General Motors North American boss, Mark Reuss, has expressed high interest in creating a small, rear-wheel-drive coupe to rival the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ. If something like this ever came to production, it could take the shape of the Chevrolet Code 130R concept car (pictured) that debuted at last year's Detroit Auto Show.

"It's on the list. It would be a great entry for us," Reuss told CarSales.com.au, adding, "I don't know if they (Toyota) are making any money but it is a very attractive car."

A production version of the 130R would likely ride on a small, rear-drive platform like GM's Alpha architecture, which currently underpins the Cadillac ATS and will eventually be used in the next Chevrolet Camaro. "We would do something with the knowledge of Alpha and the background, but we wouldn't take Alpha and try and shrink it," said Reuss.

We've heard faint whispers about exactly this scenario previously, and the fact that it's still on the table is a good sign. Of course, if development hasn't started yet and a project like this gets the green light, there's no telling how far off a small, rear-drive coupe from GM could be. And considering how popular the Scion and Subaru twins have proven (at least in their early life), GM would be wise to get the ball rolling sooner rather than later.

News Source: CarSales.com.au

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Jon Sibal renders the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette C7R

General Motors has made it very clear the 2014 Chevrolet C7 Corvette borrowed more than a few engineering tricks from the mighty Corvette Racing C6R, leaving us to ponder on what exactly a C7R might look like. It seems our friend Jon Sibal was wondering the exact same thing. The designer recently took the time to whip up a rendering of an American Le Mans Series-prepared version of the new sportscar, and the creation looks as sinister on our screens as it did in our imaginations. With its exposed carbon fiber, matte black graphics, yellow lighting and center lug wheels, this rendering looks appropriately sinister.

Here's hoping Corvette Racing is paying attention. So far, the outfit hasn't said one word about its own take on the 2014 Corvette, but you can bet your lunch money the machine will give the rest of the competitors in the ALMS GT class something to sweat over. 

News Source: Jon Sibal via Facebook

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GM passes Ford in government sales, first time since bailout

 

Opponents of the US auto bailout – specifically that of "Government Motors" – should have a field day with this information. According to data compiled by Automotive News from the Government Services Administration, General Motors became the largest supplier of new cars to the US Government; overtaking Ford for the first time since 2009. Before the bailout, GM had held this lead dating back to at least 2005.

For fiscal year 2012, GM sold 19,404 units worth $409.2 million to the government, while Ford's sales to the feds dropped by 43 percent to 10,734 units worth $241.3 million. While some might want to attribute this finding to favoritism toward GM, GSA says that the majority of vehicle purchases, with "only a few exceptions," are driven solely by price. The report says that GM's vehicle prices climbed just 1.9 percent, and Ford's prices have risen by 12 percent. The overall top-selling car purchased by GSA? The Chevrolet Malibu. Although it has a retail price of $21,995, GSA acquired the cars for an average price of just $15,778. Other vehicles among the top 10 to be purchased by the government include the Grand Caravan, Ram 1500, Tahoe, F-150. And as we previously reported, the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid was the top hybrid model purchased by GSA.

GSA spending has also dropped in recent years with last year's $1.3 billion down from $1.36 billion in 2011 and $1.55 billion in 2010. Vehicle purchases were also down 8.6 percent from the previous year with overall purchases totaling 50,114 units.

GM had previously stated that it was going to buy back 200 million shares of its own stock by the end of the year, but we have yet to hear any confirmation on such a deal, which would be worth an estimated $5.5 billion.

News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.

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GM, Isuzu planning new truck development

General Motors and Isuzu had a long and drawn-out break up that resulted in the loss of Isuzu passenger cars in the US, as well as heavy-duty truck operations for GM. Now it appears that both automakers are in talks to produce pickup trucks once again, after signing a memorandum of understanding for a new joint venture. There are really no details to go with this announcement, although The Miami Herald indicates that this could be a move to expand in emerging markets.

It is unclear if this move will have any effect on the next-generation Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, which will be built in Wentzville, MO. Production for the Colorado was confirmed in 2011, and the closely related GMC version was confirmed back in September. At one point, GM owned as much as 49 percent of the Japanese automaker but sold off the remaining 7.9 percent of its ownership by 2006.

Isuzu-GM Joint Development of Next-generation Pickup Truck

Tokyo, Jan. 10, 2013 - Isuzu Motors Limited (TSE 7202) and General Motors Company (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) signed a memorandum of understanding to begin talks on the potential joint development of next-generation pickup trucks.

News Source: Isuzu via The Miami Herald

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Chevrolet introducing "Find New Roads" global tagline

Between the global success of the Chevrolet Cruze and the poorly received "Chevy Runs Deep" tagline, Chevrolet will be aligning all of its marketing behind a new global campaign called "Find New Roads." Looking at the big picture, Chevrolet says this new tagline will be used to create "one global vision" as it prepares to launch 20 new models this year worldwide, and the US market will be the first to see the new campaign sometime during the first quarter of this year.

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Judge says GM workers can sue automaker and UAW

In a case that dates back to April 30, 2011, General Motors and the United Auto Workers are being sued by 28 employees at GM's Lordstown, Ohio plant that builds the Chevrolet Cruze. The employees say that when they were hired in October, 2006 they were improperly classified as temporary workers. They were let go six months later, in April, 2007, but then rehired six months after that.

When they were rehired, the workers say they were classified as and paid the same wages as permanent employees with seniority. But in June, 2008 the 28 workers say they were

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