When supposedly car guys start choosing Hyundais over American style and obvious quality(e.g. Malibu, Regal,Camaro,Challenger....),especially when its been pretty consistent over the last decade, I get nauseous. There is a phenomena called "expert from afar". It kinda goes like this. people will believe(more impressed) when introduced to someone as an expert who is from far away geographically. They almost always allow more credibility to the "same person" rather than one who is local. I tend to think this same way of thinking applys to cars, as American cars lack that mystique of being from way over there. we build up an assumption in our mind that they somehow build a superior car,because it has been reinforced to us that Korean, Japanese, Europeans, all are better than the schmucks in Detroit as they are still building cars from the 80's. We know they are bad so we buy cars from those who have impressed us because.....
As a shadetree mechanic who has fixed my own cars for 40 yrs. and have friends who are full time mechanics, I think the engineering and longterm reliabilty as well as performance is way superior in most cases for American. My mechanic friends have shown me ways the foreign cars engineer parts that are expensive and hard to R&R. Plus I enjoy knowing that I am supporting fellow Americans who need that job. For those American cars that aren't made here and/or the argument that a toyota is made here simply doesn't make sense. The jobs here are important as stated but the real effect of the sale puts the profits in our companies pockets making them healthy with R&D money, and other supportive auto agencies that foreign companies like hyundais spend other there. The xcuses run a mile long but none make a lot of sense in the big picture. Oh I get better resale than American. Thats a result of this kind of thinking. If it really bothers one. then reverse the problem by buying a used low mile American car so as to take advantage of that. Its easy to rebuke the foreign car arguments. but it comes down to out of 3 car companies, with dozens of models,I think one could find one that meets there needs/likes. I know I'll be labeled nuts,but am I?
I don't really have high hopes for the new Malibu...
I've certainly got my concerns... No Six-pot, Hyundai evocative interior based on spyshots. As for exterior styling- it looks promising but I'll wait to see what the show-car brings in the "flesh" so to speak.