Jump to content
News
Reviews
Discussons
Activity
Create New...
Close
  • William Maley
    William Maley

    By William Maley •

    Dealers: Chevrolet Malibu Eco Difficult To Sell

    By William Maley

    Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com

    February 2, 2013

    Read any review of the Chevrolet Malibu Eco and most, if not all will say the mild hybrid system used doesn’t provide enough improvement in the fuel economy to justify the price. Chevrolet dealers are saying the same thing with consumers skipping over the Eco model.

    "For most people, it's hard to justify the extra money based on the extra fuel economy of a combined 3 mpg more than the base model. You've got the base LS model sitting next to it that's just as nice and luxurious," said Jeff Tuckman, inventory manager at Castle Chevrolet in suburban Chicago.

    Another Chevrolet dealer in New Jersey puts it more bluntly.

    "The fuel economy difference from the other models isn't so great that buyers are saying, 'I'll choose a smaller trunk and pay more money.'"

    This isn’t good news for General Motors. The company is making a big bet with mild hybrids, known as eAssist. Last year, GM set an ambitious goal of selling 500,000 electrified vehicles by 2017; the vast majority being mild hybrids.

    GM says the take rate for the Malibu Eco is 8% of total Malibu sales, below the initial forecast of 10%.

    "Getting the consumer to embrace the incremental gains in fuel efficiency from the mild-hybrid system can be problematic given all the improvements that have been made" on regular gasoline engines. I think GM knows they've got to improve" eAssist's mpg numbers,” sid Alan Baum, a Detroit-area automotive analyst who tracks electrified vehicle sales.

    Source: Autoweek

    William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.

    Go to articles

    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    hyperv6

    For the price and performance the Eco Cruze is a much better choice. It strikes the best balance between price and economy.


    I expect anyone looking for better MPG and a Chevy just buy the Cruze as It really does hit over 50 MPG on the highway and is not bad around town. It may not be a rocket but you can get on the freeway without holding your breath you might be run over.

    I think Chevy would be best to make the BU get the best MPG it can get with what it has and just worry about gettng all the details right to make it best in class.

    Also with the Verano around if MPG was a factor it would even be a good or better option.

    As for the mild hybrids if people buy them good but if I were given the choice I would pass. The few MPG is not worth the hassle of the smaller trunk and possible expensive repairs later on. I keep cars too long to not consider this. Now if you lease or trade often that would not be a factor.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    G. David Felt

    Discount these lame egg's and sell them off, dump the eek Assist and put in the Duramax Diesel 2.6L and have a good night of High Mileage with decent tourque. Want performance, then drop the MPG just a bit by going with the 2.9L duramax system.

    If you want a hybrid system, then start putting the VOLT into a wide range of auto's and enjoy the true GM Version of the Prius family. No reason you cannot have a VOLT 4 door car, Station wagon, Minivan and CUV AWD based on the VOLT system.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    William Maley

    What is strange to me is that this powertrain setup is perfectly reasonable in a base Buick Lacrosse yet is somehow woefully inadequate in the Malibu.

    I know.. I've been trying to figure how the LaCrosse eAssist is decent and the Malibu Eco is terrible.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Drew Dowdell

    eAssist isn't horrible; it's just that most of its full-hybrid competitors are way more efficient and no more expensive.

    but why is eAssist performing in different ways in different vehicles? especially in a counter intuitive way (better performance in a larger vehicle)

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    dwightlooi

    Just discontinue it...

    The Prius set is going to buy Priuses and/or upgrade to Teslas if and when they can afford it. People who actually care about financial benefits of fuel economy is not going to spend money on Hybrids that don't pay back their investment during the period they own the car.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Croc

    GM "bet big" on mild hybrids that also flopped with past Malibus and the Saturn "Green Line" vehicles.

    The reason Malibu mild hybrid sucks and LaCrosse doesn't (as much) is because the Verano doesn't come close to the mpg of the Cruze. LaCrosse does not have a barely-smaller, cheaper car embarrassing its mpg and trunk volume sitting next to it in the showroom.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites


    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

    ×



  • Subscribe to Cheers & Gears

    Cheers and Gears Logo

    Since 2001 we've brought you real content and honest opinions, not AI-generated stuff with no feeling or opinions influenced by the manufacturers.

    Please consider subscribing. Subscriptions can be as little as $1.75 a month, and a paid subscription drops most ads.*
     

    You can view subscription options here.

    *a very limited number of ads contain special coupon deals for our members and will show

  • Similar Content

  • Posts

    • trinacriabob
      Random Thoughts Thread

      By trinacriabob · Posted

      Nicely composed photo. - - - - - Black smoke ... and I'll never forget where I was/am.   I am in disbelief.  The new Pope is American.  (There's a reason for everything.) I could put this in a joke thread, but won't ... Q:  What do Trump*, Elon Musk*, Luigi Mangione*, and the new Pope** have in common? A:  Their college degrees (baccalaureate) were all granted in ~ Philadelphia. * UPenn ** Villanova
    • G. David Felt
      IONNA Aims for Doubles

      By G. David Felt · Posted

      I am excited for this to grow quickly!
    • Drew Dowdell
      Random Thoughts Thread

      By Drew Dowdell · Posted

      Sorry! False alarm on the white smoke! That was me starting up my Toronado for the first time in a year!
    • Drew Dowdell
      Chevrolet News:Chevy Updates the Corvette Interior for 2026

      By Drew Dowdell · Posted

      I mean, that's all their vehicles these days, GM's entire Infotainment OS is Google based, all they do on the EV's is shut off the option.  That doesn't preclude Android Auto and CarPlay.  Volvo and Honda have no problem running CarPlay on their Google Built-In systems.
    • Drew Dowdell
      IONNA Aims for Doubles

      By Drew Dowdell · Posted

      IONNA is a fledgling charging network with big goals, 30,000 charging bays by the end of 2030 with just five years to accomplish it.  Their first IONNA Rechargery broke ground in October of 2024 and the network came out of beta just in February this year, IONNA's shorter-term goal is for 1,000 charging bays open by the end of 2025.  In April, IONNA opened six new Rechargeries, doubling their location footprint to 12 locations with 120 charging bays.  The number of Rechargeries under construction is more than double their current footprint with another 15 locations under active construction. Back in February, IONNA had announced 100 locations under contract. That number in April has doubled to 200 locations with an additional 2,000 charging bays agreed on and in the pipeline. Late last year IONNA partnered with gas-station chain Sheetz in a strategic partnership to add Rechargeries at more than 50 Sheetz locations in the Eastern and Midwestern US.  As part of this growth plan and to get the word out about their new network, IONNA is offering "Friends and Family" pricing to everyone at all IONNA stations with no subscriptions or additional fees.  IONNA's founding member companies have begun rolling out Plug & Charge to select vehicles allowing for easy transactions through their respective branded apps. Additionally, some founding manufacturers are offering discounts at IONNA stations. BMW: Plug & Charge already live today. All IONNA locations and charge points are fully digitally integrated and accessible through the My BMW App and the in-vehicle navigation system. Special offers applicable to IONNA in the future. General Motors: Plug & Charge rolling out Q2 2025. GM EV drivers can easily find and access IONNA charging stations directly through their GM MyBrand apps, with full integration for a seamless experience. Honda: Plug & Charge in the future. Special offers applicable to IONNA. Hyundai: Plug & Charge is rolling out soon. 2025 IONIQ 5, IONIQ 5 N, IONIQ 6 and 2025 Genesis drivers who choose the Charging Credit offer receive up to $500 of charging credit through the ChargePoint app, with credits usable at IONNA stations.  Kia: Plug & Charge coming soon. Kia America’s recently launched Kia Charge Pass program allows “find, charge & pay” capability within the Kia Access App. Mercedes-Benz: Plug & Charge live today.  Model Year 2025 EV owners have the option to add a $1,000 public charging voucher to their MB.CHARGE PUBLIC account and apply it to charging sessions on the IONNA network.  Stellantis:  Plug & Charge coming soon. Certain model year drivers of the Jeep Wagoneer S, Dodge Charger Daytona and Fiat 500e who chose the Free2move Charge Go Package can apply the $600 of public charging credits at all IONNA Rechargeries. Toyota: Discounts coming soon. All Rechargery stations feature a combination of NACS and CCS plugs making compatibility with most modern EVs a breeze (Sorry Nissan Leaf owners, no CHAdeMO). Each dispenser can operated up to 400kW with 200kW available per vehicle.  Many Rechargeries will feature pull-through facilities to accommodate EVs that are towing. IONNA was founded in 2024 by eight of the largest auto manufacturers with a mission to build a coast to coast nationwide network of reliable electric vehicle charging coupled with the amenities travelers need. View full article

  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • My Clubs

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Hey there, we noticed you're using an ad-blocker. We're a small site that is supported by ads or subscriptions. We rely on these to pay for server costs and vehicle reviews.  Please consider whitelisting us in your ad-blocker, or if you really like what you see, you can pick up one of our subscriptions for just $1.75 a month or $15 a year. It may not seem like a lot, but it goes a long way to help support real, honest content, that isn't generated by an AI bot.

See you out there.

Drew
Editor-in-Chief

I've whitelisted
Continue without support

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search