Brain Fertilizer

You've GOT to be kidding...you think this:

http://auto.consumerguide.com/Auto/New/reviews/full/index.cfm/id/23177/Act/Photos/

is more attractive than this?

http://www.chevrolet.com/malibu/sedan/

WOW.

Example A is snore-riffic. Atleast there's some uniqueness to the 2005 version.

As for wimpy in the previous years, my current "runner" is a 2003 with a 6 cylander engine...peppy as can be. But it's not a sports car, it's a grocery grabber.

I absolutely disagree with your judgment on the Malibu's looks.
The 2003 model is unexciting...but has an understated elegance to it.
Like the 2003 Accord, actually. That car sold quite well, no?

That's exactly the problem with American cars. They put the emphasis on a unique look and have a bland car. They should put the effort into having a quality car and people will fall in love with the look.

Volvo proved that. Saab proved that. Honda proved that with several models. The problem with putting the emphasis on appearance is that if you swing for a home-run, you strike-out more often (Pontiac Aztec, anyone?). And the more unique the car, the less enduring its looks. The 2003 Camry will look good for a decade, whereas the butt-ugly taillight configuration of the 2003 Impala is already dated.

Taste is personal, so I'm trying to insist my taste is the standard. I am trying to point out that cars that fit your description of "snore-riffic" have sold hundreds of thousands more than what you called "WOW". And there is absolutely ZERO buzz on the street about what you called "WOW". It looks like a cheap Saturn with that headlight/grille, and Saturns haven't actually been winning any top-seller awards.

I know, there is some contradiction in what I say. The 2003 Malibu didn't stand out in performance, the 2005 has a decent performance but I hate the looks. What I'm saying, I guess, is that looks aren't enough...but if performance is roughly equivalent, then looks make the deciding factor. And the 2005 Malibu isn't good enough to overcome what I (and millions of other people, apparently) feel is a pretty homely appearance.

It's just like in dating: looks can attract you, but cannot maintain the relationship. The person that looks the most attractive at first will seem ugly quickly if they have annoying habits/traits. The key is to be a good person, and someone will fall in love with you and then find your looks attractive afterwards. And if you happen to have an attractive look as well, at least you've made sure you backed it up with substance, not flash.

Same way with cars. If the Big3 would stop putting out crap with a pretty face, they would sell more. Having a reputation for crap in comparison with the top imports (which you can buy for less in many cases), trying to come up with a unique look isn't good enough. The only choice left for the Big3 is try to set the standard, after which other cars will try to look like Big3 cars to cash in on the Big3's success.
Instead, the Big3 apparently feels comfortable chasing the standard, offering lots of rebates to lure people in, and hoping that "Buy American" will lure in enough suckers that they can continue to produce sub-standard vehicles without going bankrupt.

Simple answer: the new malibu is outselling the old one by leaps and bounds. That's all that really matters to GM.

Sheesh, and I never intended that to come across that the car is "wow", that was my reaction to what you thought was attractive.

I think you should re-read our previous discussion on this...I won't go any further.

Well, I was emboldened by reading someone else say they thought the new Malibu is ugly. And at least two people in my office agree.

I'm just trying to understand and quantify exactly why the Big3 keeps losing more and more of the market share. GM is doing the worst right now, compared to where they started. They could turn it around, but the failure of the G6 (not a flop, no, but obviously not the bestseller they thought they were hyping during the Super Bowl) indicates that they still don't understand what most American drivers want.

I don't want the Big3 to go under. I don't want to have to buy foreign cars. But the continual incompetence and wilfull ignorance of the Big3 really leaves me little choice. I don't want the hassle of a lemon or the frustration of a sub-par car, and American cars just aren't worth the risk.