The launch of the all-new Chevrolet Malibu in late 2011 was significant in that it marked the first Chevrolet midsize sedan to sell on a global scale. In New York, in London, and in Shanghai, the 2012 Malibu carried the same look all the world. But after lukewarm reception due to a seriously stacked midsize sedan segment in North America, GM rolled out a necessary refresh to address the issues critics seemed to have about the vehicle.
That being the case, the 2014 Malibu refresh that was revealed last Friday on Belle Isle will be exclusive to North America for the time being. We may see the refresh cross continents in the future, but for now, note the differentiation.
Comments
Personally, I do not think it is wise to sell the same car across the globe. Toyoda gets away with it because they sell appliances, little with any exterior design though. Thus, I like the fact that GM is differentiating the Malibu and hopefully in the future they can differentiate it enough to satisfy the tastes of all markets.
The global car strategy is a great idea to reduce development costs and get a car to market quicker. But it’s hard to please everyone, and it’s good to see that they are open to quickly fine-tuning the cars if it doesn’t work out in an individual market.