Malibu Hybrid... WHY???

[hobbit]

Same reason anyone would buy a "hybrid" Escalade. So they can
shallowly impress their buddies how "green" their bling box
is. So the marketroids can slap a word onto a car, that's
about all there is to what they're doing.
.
_H*

[dagrunner46]

Look, the car doesn't have to be shipped across the ocean. It doesn't have a nickel battery which has a fairly toxic manufacturing process and the mileage is not so far worse that it is ecomically significant. When you factor in the respective costs, after 60,000 miles, and at $3 per gallon, there is not a giant difference in cost and the Chevy is probably greener.

And don't get me wrong. I like my Prius. It is a good little car and it faithfully delivers 40 plus miles per gallon. Am I glad I bought it? Yes. Does it blow the doors off a new Malibu? Probably not.

[Jack66]

Most of us had mothers telling us if we didn't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all. At least the reviewers were inventive enough to put the stereo down as a positive.

[dogfriend]

Originally Posted by dagrunner46

It doesn't have a nickel battery which has a fairly toxic manufacturing process and the mileage is not so far worse that it is ecomically significant.

Actually, it does have a NiMH battery, although it is probably much smaller than the Prius battery since it is only 36V.

At least the Prius battery allows the vehicle to minimize emissions and substantially improve the fuel economy. The Malibu battery only allows the car to have a "super-starter motor" so that they can paste a Hybrid badge on the car.

I also wonder if GM will give hybrids a bad reputation with efforts like this one.

[dagrunner46]

I doubt that GM will be the cause of a bad reputation. And if Gm perfects a lithium ion battery that doesn't blow up before Toyota does, Katy bar the door.

[omgitsroy326]

is it performance based hybrid... like the hybrid gs?

[Reddog15]

Do you recon that GM asks themselves why they lost $37 BILLION last year? Failure to define value in terms of what the customer wants comes to mind. Sorry, some lean and TPS tendencies coming through. /end rant

[paprius4030]

Originally Posted by dagrunner46

Look, the car doesn't have to be shipped across the ocean. It doesn't have a nickel battery which has a fairly toxic manufacturing process and the mileage is not so far worse that it is ecomically significant. When you factor in the respective costs, after 60,000 miles, and at $3 per gallon, there is not a giant difference in cost and the Chevy is probably greener.

And don't get me wrong. I like my Prius. It is a good little car and it faithfully delivers 40 plus miles per gallon. Am I glad I bought it? Yes. Does it blow the doors off a new Malibu? Probably not.

I think the Prius does blow the doors off that Malibu I looked at. The Prius is far roomier and more comfortable. Plus the hatchback design makes the Prius more versitle. I'm sure over time it will be much more realiable and it certainly gets better mpg's.

[cwerdna]

Originally Posted by hobbit

Same reason anyone would buy a "hybrid" Escalade. So they can
shallowly impress their buddies how "green" their bling box
is. So the marketroids can slap a word onto a car, that's
about all there is to what they're doing.
.
_H*

Originally Posted by Rockville1

Perhaps this is GM's really lame attempt to manipulate people into beleiving that hybrids suck (or reinforce the opinions of those that already beleive this).

More likely this is just GM's really lame attempt to play catch up for dropping the ball completely on the hybrid revolution.

IMHO, and based on the reviews I've read, you would have to be a complete ingnoramous to buy a Malibu hybrid (although the non-hybrid version does get really good reviews).

Yep. Basically... I guess it's so GM can make claims like they have the most hybrid models or that have the most models w/over 30 highway mpg (pre-08 EPA method). It also goes along w/their "from gas friendly to gas-free" slogan I guess.

Originally Posted by omgitsroy326

is it performance based hybrid... like the hybrid gs?

LOL. Not unless you consider a net 169 hp to be "performance". 2008 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid Review and Specs mentions that the electric motor can move the Malibu up to 3 mph alone. The review also says "Hybrids aren't expected to be quick, but with a 0-60-mph time of around 11 seconds, the Malibu is much slower than the Camry and Altima hybrids. Even the Prius is quicker."

I guess the only plus about it is that it's cheap and is eligible for a $1300 tax credit (New Energy Tax Credit for Hybrids) vs. $0 for all Toyota/Lexus hybrids now. On a side note, the Altima Hybrid is eligible for a $2350 tax credit but it's only available in 8 states.

[Rockville1]

The point about hybrid technology being used to enhance performance is a good one. While the Malibu hybrid certainly fails miserably in both enhanced performance and fuel economy, I have no problem with hybrid technology being used to enhance performance at the sacrifice of some fuel economy, especially if the vehicle can still maintain SULEV status.

A case in point would be the Lexus RX 400h which is a fanstistic vehicle to drive. IMO, much nicer to drive than the non-hybrid version. This is a SULEV vehicle that gets notably better mileage than the non-hybrid and the accelration on it is fantastic (due to combined ICE and traction motor set up they use).

While some may argue that this type of vehicle exists just so the affluent can feel green in their luxury cars, I say so what if the car is doing its part to help reduce dependence on oil, is SULEV compliant and brings more attention to hybrid and alternative fuel technology.