2004 Chevy Malibu Maxx
Thread Starter
Toyota Racing = Cheaters
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,536
Likes: 0
2004 Chevy Malibu Maxx
2004 Chevy Malibu Maxx to offer treats for back-seat passengers
DETROIT - Don't call it a hatchback.
General Motors hopes to redefine the mid-sized sedan segment with a Chevrolet that offers back-seat passengers some features normally reserved for people in the front seat.
The 2004 Malibu Maxx will feature a sunroof that is above the rear-seat passengers. Those in the rear can move the seat backward if they want more legroom.
The Maxx also will offer a built-in video system.
But the word "hatchback" won't be used to describe the Malibu Maxx, said a GM manager who asked not to be identified.
"To most people, 'hatchback' is associated with 'cheap,' so we don't think that is appropriate," he said. "We'll call it an extended sedan and justify it by the fact that the beltline basically extends" around the vehicle.
"It kind of has a semitrunk in the rear. It is not the sloping rear end that you would know from most hatchbacks," the manager said. "Visually, it kind of has a trunk. That's why we call it internally an extended sedan."
The rear seat folds forward to allow room for extra cargo.
The extended wheelbase gives the Maxx a proportion that is completely different from the Malibu sedan, the manager said.
The Maxx has "a relatively short rear overhang that gives it a sporty stance. So if you see the two vehicles next to each other, obviously the front end is largely the same, but from all other aspects it is quite a different experience," he said.
The 2004 Malibu Maxx and the 2004 Malibu sedan will be the first U.S.-assembled vehicles developed off General Motors' new global Epsilon architecture. The architecture gives GM the flexibility to build vehicles with six different wheelbases, front- and all-wheel-drive configurations, and a range of body styles that includes sedans, convertibles, coupes and sport wagons. Four- and six-cylinder engines will be offered.
The Malibu Maxx will have a wheelbase that is 6 inches longer than that of the 2004 Malibu sedan. But the Maxx's overall length will be slightly shorter than the sedan's.
Saturn Corp. is considering a vehicle with a long wheelbase similar to the Maxx. If approved, that model likely would replace the Saturn L-series sedan and wagon no sooner than the 2006 or 2007 model year.
The Epsilon architecture was introduced with the redesigned Opel Vectra this past spring. It also will carry the redesigned 2003 Saab 9-3 and the 2005 Pontiac Grand Am.
DETROIT - Don't call it a hatchback.
General Motors hopes to redefine the mid-sized sedan segment with a Chevrolet that offers back-seat passengers some features normally reserved for people in the front seat.
The 2004 Malibu Maxx will feature a sunroof that is above the rear-seat passengers. Those in the rear can move the seat backward if they want more legroom.
The Maxx also will offer a built-in video system.
But the word "hatchback" won't be used to describe the Malibu Maxx, said a GM manager who asked not to be identified.
"To most people, 'hatchback' is associated with 'cheap,' so we don't think that is appropriate," he said. "We'll call it an extended sedan and justify it by the fact that the beltline basically extends" around the vehicle.
"It kind of has a semitrunk in the rear. It is not the sloping rear end that you would know from most hatchbacks," the manager said. "Visually, it kind of has a trunk. That's why we call it internally an extended sedan."
The rear seat folds forward to allow room for extra cargo.
The extended wheelbase gives the Maxx a proportion that is completely different from the Malibu sedan, the manager said.
The Maxx has "a relatively short rear overhang that gives it a sporty stance. So if you see the two vehicles next to each other, obviously the front end is largely the same, but from all other aspects it is quite a different experience," he said.
The 2004 Malibu Maxx and the 2004 Malibu sedan will be the first U.S.-assembled vehicles developed off General Motors' new global Epsilon architecture. The architecture gives GM the flexibility to build vehicles with six different wheelbases, front- and all-wheel-drive configurations, and a range of body styles that includes sedans, convertibles, coupes and sport wagons. Four- and six-cylinder engines will be offered.
The Malibu Maxx will have a wheelbase that is 6 inches longer than that of the 2004 Malibu sedan. But the Maxx's overall length will be slightly shorter than the sedan's.
Saturn Corp. is considering a vehicle with a long wheelbase similar to the Maxx. If approved, that model likely would replace the Saturn L-series sedan and wagon no sooner than the 2006 or 2007 model year.
The Epsilon architecture was introduced with the redesigned Opel Vectra this past spring. It also will carry the redesigned 2003 Saab 9-3 and the 2005 Pontiac Grand Am.
Excuse me while I go hurl. :barf:
Apathy Kills
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 60,714
Likes: 0
From: The Left Lane
:barf:
__________________
:: :ToDspin: - supermod - but who gives a shit?
:: HAN Integra FAQ: If, by some miracle, yours hasn't been stolen... check it out!
:: HAN Integra FAQ: If, by some miracle, yours hasn't been stolen... check it out!
