GM Drops Malibu Hybrid
06-13-2009, 08:50 PM
#2
Race Director
Unfortunately, it was competing against the Camry, Altima, and Fusion Hybrids - vastly superior vehicles because of their much better fuel mileage. Gas prices are once again climbing past $3.00 per gallon and luckily, we now have a decent number of hybrids from which to choose.
06-16-2009, 04:27 PM
#3
Race Director
Unfortunately, it was competing against the Camry, Altima, and Fusion Hybrids - vastly superior vehicles because of their much better fuel mileage. Gas prices are once again climbing past $3.00 per gallon and luckily, we now have a decent number of hybrids from which to choose.
I saw one a month ago when my Mom picked up a Malibu 4 banger Cheap! great car for the money considering the incentives.
Anyway, the sales lady told me the only thing that makes the Malibu a hybrid is that it shuts the engine down at stop lights and such if the car isn't moving....Dunno, but if that's the case there's no reason every car shouldn't have that technology.
Chevy messed up with the marketing. They call it a hybrid even though it isn't, and then everyone compares it with the nissan hybrid for gas mileage only.
What they should have done was just give that technology to all Malibu's and market it cheaper and say it's got "close" to hybrid gas mileage for a lot less money.
Is GM hiring? I always wanted a Government job.
06-17-2009, 09:58 AM
#4
Race Director
Excellent thoughts! Shutting the engine down at a stop makes alot of sense if you live in a big city. You are correct in that the Malibu is less expensive than its competition and it is well-built.
06-17-2009, 05:53 PM
#5
Safety Car
Anyway, the sales lady told me the only thing that makes the Malibu a hybrid is that it shuts the engine down at stop lights and such if the car isn't moving....Dunno, but if that's the case there's no reason every car shouldn't have that technology.
What they should have done was just give that technology to all Malibu's and market it cheaper and say it's got "close" to hybrid gas mileage for a lot less money.
What they should have done was just give that technology to all Malibu's and market it cheaper and say it's got "close" to hybrid gas mileage for a lot less money.
Not completely true, and that type of sales person is one of the reasons GM's multi-technology hybrid approach will never work.
The Malibu Hybrid is considered a "Stop/Start" hybrid because the electric motor is used primarily for stopping and starting the engine. It can propel the car to slow speeds (about 3mph), and can assist the gas engine under high load conditions. It also has regenerative braking. So all of the same stuff that makes a hybrid a hybrid is in the Malibu.
The big difference is that the Malibu hybrid is less dependant on batteries, and does not use a larger electric motor which could allow the car to run on just the batteries. At a much lower cost, and with far less advanced battery technology (more available and lower cost), the technology could be easily added to more cars, and be sold to people who aren't willing to pay a large premium for "hybrid" technology. It doesn't give the full emissions/fuel economy advantage of "full" hybrid technology, but sits in the middle ground of cost vs. benefit.
This technology would have worked well if gas had stayed at the $4/gal mark. People who wanted better mileage, but weren't willing to pay $$$ for a "hybrid", may have considered this approach. But with gas prices returning to "normal" (hah!), people who want a "hybrid" want a Prius, and everyone else stopped caring so much.
Every car should probably have this technology (except our Vettes... extra weight for mpg gains... yuck), as it would really reduce our fuel consumption, and wouldn't be nearly as expensive as the fully hybrid approach (and there aren't enough advanced batteries to go around right now).
Last edited by WAwatchnut; 06-17-2009 at 05:57 PM.
06-17-2009, 10:36 PM
#6
Melting Slicks
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06-19-2009, 10:25 AM
#8
Race Director
Not completely true, and that type of sales person is one of the reasons GM's multi-technology hybrid approach will never work.
The Malibu Hybrid is considered a "Stop/Start" hybrid because the electric motor is used primarily for stopping and starting the engine. It can propel the car to slow speeds (about 3mph), and can assist the gas engine under high load conditions. It also has regenerative braking. So all of the same stuff that makes a hybrid a hybrid is in the Malibu.
The big difference is that the Malibu hybrid is less dependant on batteries, and does not use a larger electric motor which could allow the car to run on just the batteries. At a much lower cost, and with far less advanced battery technology (more available and lower cost), the technology could be easily added to more cars, and be sold to people who aren't willing to pay a large premium for "hybrid" technology. It doesn't give the full emissions/fuel economy advantage of "full" hybrid technology, but sits in the middle ground of cost vs. benefit.
This technology would have worked well if gas had stayed at the $4/gal mark. People who wanted better mileage, but weren't willing to pay $$$ for a "hybrid", may have considered this approach. But with gas prices returning to "normal" (hah!), people who want a "hybrid" want a Prius, and everyone else stopped caring so much.
Every car should probably have this technology (except our Vettes... extra weight for mpg gains... yuck), as it would really reduce our fuel consumption, and wouldn't be nearly as expensive as the fully hybrid approach (and there aren't enough advanced batteries to go around right now).
The Malibu Hybrid is considered a "Stop/Start" hybrid because the electric motor is used primarily for stopping and starting the engine. It can propel the car to slow speeds (about 3mph), and can assist the gas engine under high load conditions. It also has regenerative braking. So all of the same stuff that makes a hybrid a hybrid is in the Malibu.
The big difference is that the Malibu hybrid is less dependant on batteries, and does not use a larger electric motor which could allow the car to run on just the batteries. At a much lower cost, and with far less advanced battery technology (more available and lower cost), the technology could be easily added to more cars, and be sold to people who aren't willing to pay a large premium for "hybrid" technology. It doesn't give the full emissions/fuel economy advantage of "full" hybrid technology, but sits in the middle ground of cost vs. benefit.
This technology would have worked well if gas had stayed at the $4/gal mark. People who wanted better mileage, but weren't willing to pay $$$ for a "hybrid", may have considered this approach. But with gas prices returning to "normal" (hah!), people who want a "hybrid" want a Prius, and everyone else stopped caring so much.
Every car should probably have this technology (except our Vettes... extra weight for mpg gains... yuck), as it would really reduce our fuel consumption, and wouldn't be nearly as expensive as the fully hybrid approach (and there aren't enough advanced batteries to go around right now).
Thanks for the clarification.
