Filed under: Car Buying, Chevrolet, Toyota
Chevy dealers told to get a Camry to sell their Malibus
Perhaps Chevrolet should see if Ford is done with the "Bold Moves" slogan yet, because some Chevy dealers have grown a pair and are trying a radical move. They're bringing enemy No. 1 right into their showrooms.
Chevrolet is confident enough in its forthcoming Malibu redesign, that they're willing to have customers paw all over their mid-size offering and Toyota's Camry side by side. Instead of just telling potential Malibu customers that Camry ain't all that, Chevy's car marketing director, Cheryl Catton, suggests dealers put one of the best-selling Toyotas right there next to Malibus. Production of the new Malibus begins in October, and GM's ad push for the car begins in January. Look for the Malibu/Camry steel cage death match to begin about then.
But wouldn't it be a small sales boost to put a Camry in every Chevy dealership? Catton thought of that, and recommends the Toyotas be rented.
[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
kingvolcano 7:12AM (5/14/2007)
Great idea, you can even put a Toyota sign right next to the Chevy sign on the dealership. Then, once Chevy goes out of business, you can just take down the Chevy sign and move in the rest of the Toyota models....BRILLIANT!
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Donald Hindle 7:23AM (5/14/2007)
Well, it's ugly enough to compete with the Camry on the styling front
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Mikeeeeeeee 7:27AM (5/14/2007)
Excellent idea. If I can get my Camry out of the Toyota dealers repair shop LONG ENOUGH to drive it to the Chevy dealership, maybe my local Chev dealer will take it in for a trade.
Mikeeeeeee
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Petey 7:29AM (5/14/2007)
Im sure Toyota is shaking in their boots :)
Seriously though, this sort of stunt only works for a small proportion of the population.. those opened minded enough to actually consider a Malibu over a Camry.
The the rest of the world... the Camry/Accord duo are perceived to be the upper tier of the mid size world, while Malibu is a few notches down. This is the benefit of having a nameplate around for 20+ years and continually refining it. It doesnt matter how good Malibu is.. thats just the way it is.
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Ken 7:54AM (5/14/2007)
I think the 3 series is the perceived as the the upper tier of the midsize world with the Camry/Accord a few notches below and the Malibu one below that.
This will at least stir up a little publicity and if GM is confident enough in their car to do a side by side taste test then more power to them. I think the slight upset at Toyota making number one was just the kick in the pants GM needed.
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Skhardra 7:56AM (5/14/2007)
The interior alone of the new Malibu blows the Camry out of the water; simply gorgeous. It might take a couple of years to gain acceptance and perhaps even preference against the Camry and Accord, but it certainly appears to have what it takes to rise to the occasion. Let's wait and see what happens.
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Andy 7:57AM (5/14/2007)
Perception most of the time beats reality. Wake up GM, you do not have the perception nor the reality. Forget about Camry's customers and try to find yours. I am sure Toyota will be happy with GM's marketing idea; it will work for them more than GM. Oh my god Toyota is getting everything, what better than a free marketing from its main competitor
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John R 8:02AM (5/14/2007)
It'll be interesting to see which Camry level of trim they'll bring on to the lot. Hopefully they'll compare the Camry top tier model to the Chevy top tier model.
And hopefully use similar drive trains, unlike Ford did (AWD Fusion to FWD Accord and Camry). Otherwise it'll be something of a cheap shot like this Ford Challenge business.
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cowbell 8:09AM (5/14/2007)
John R, in regards to that Ford Challenge, they compared the Ford to the FWD Camry and Accord because THERE IS NO AWD CAMRY OR ACCORD. That's like saying that "just because Car A has air bags and Car B doesn't have air bags, car A isn't safer. It wasn't a fair test because car B didn't have air bags."
Back to the subject, I couldn't agree more with Skhardra. The new interior blows any other mid-sized sedan out of the water.
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Hamud 8:17AM (5/14/2007)
#8 Isn't the AWD Fusion the TOP tier one??? So, following your own directions, they did it right. It's not Ford's fault if Toyota and Honda don't offer an AWD on their mid-size sedans.
Getting back to the subject, it looks a little too bold to me, but it might work, the new Malibu looks really interesting on the inside.
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Big Mike Wood 8:22AM (5/14/2007)
This is a good idea but I'm afraid there are way too many people still living in the 80's who won't consider a domestic brand even when you demonstrate that it's a superior vehicle.
This kinda reminds me of the Mac vs. PC commercials Apple always runs. They reek of desperation and to most people simply reinforce the idea that a PC is the superior platform and that Apple has to resort to cheap shots and false advertising to get people interested.
If your product is great people will find out, it just may take a while to overcome a reputation you've built over the past 20 years. Chevy now builds great cars but still has the reputation for shoddiness, and Toyota builds average rattle traps that still benefit from a reputation of quality.
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Elliott 8:27AM (5/14/2007)
Ford's Fusion Challenge pitted an AWD Fusion against an FWD Camry because they were equal at price point. Basically when you buy a high-end Fusion you are getting AWD as a $0 cost option versus the high-end Camry.
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stlman 8:28AM (5/14/2007)
the camry isn't a great car, it's mearly competitent. the fusion, accord, and the new malibu are superior cars. let's hope everyone figures this out before we're all driving appliances.
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Calebe 8:38AM (5/14/2007)
I don't think your average Toyota buyer will even go into a Chevy dealer. What's the point?
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yin 8:50AM (5/14/2007)
I'm sure they will put the lowest trim Camry right next to the highest trim Malibu.
Drove a rental Malibu in Texas....what a piece of crap. Hope this one is better than the last.
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James 8:51AM (5/14/2007)
Good to know that they won't buy buying a Toyota for each dealership. The problem is, I don't recall ever seeing a car rental agency that rents Toyotas. Their fleets are swamped with bulk purchased GM products...
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Dave 9:04AM (5/14/2007)
If the Aura is any indication:
Accord > New Malibu > Camry
The new Malibu is better looking (you gotta see it in person!) than the Aura. And you can get the 6 spd auto in all trim levels of the Malibu.
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John R 9:12AM (5/14/2007)
No it's not Ford's fault that Honda and Toyota don't provided AWD.
But which one do people buy more of? The FWD Fusion or the AWD?
Also if price point is the issue here, then there is probably good reason they didn't compare it to the Hyundai Sonata.
Not because it is a "Korean @#!$ box" as many of you like to say but some of the C/D and R/T readers who were invited might actually perfer it to the Fusion when they consider the price and its performance:
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=109710
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j-Keeler 9:14AM (5/14/2007)
It's a good idea. It's one thing to tell people that your product is superior, it's another to show them. Also, it shows that GM believes that they have a better product, no one is going to buy from you if you don't believe in your product. This is the samething that the Japanese companies did back in the 70's and early 80's to get people to buy their products. It was a long uphill climb, but slowly they chipped away until they started to get traction. The rest is history. Now the domestics find themselves in the same situation. Time to start chipping away. I remember back in the late 80's and early 90's when Mazda's sales were tanking, they had a reputation for building tired boring cars. Then they introduced their "Zoom Zoom!" campaign with the Miata. It took a long time and multiple changes to the line up, but slowly they tunred it around. Look at them today, the hot seller in the Ford auto kingdom. GM will be just fine, they have a lot of pain coming up, but at least they are building kick ass cars again, and have more on the way. Ford is in way worse shape, but even they have shown signs of life.
If you ask me, as far as quality goes
Honda #1
Toyota/GM #2
Ford #3
Hyundai/Kia #4
Chrysler #5
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bmoredlj 9:15AM (5/14/2007)
This new Malibu may be the first Chevy to surpass Toyota in fit and finish and interior quality. If it isn't, it's darn close. C&D tested midsizers (not including the old Malibu) and were very disappointed with the Camry's fit and finish. I've also been in the Camry cockpit, and in older ones, and IMO the quality has declined.
Whether this has to do with new Camrys being made in the USA, who knows, but if GM is serious about competing with Toyota, they can't just match 'em, they've got to beat them in quality. They already beat them in warranty.
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