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Chevy Malibu rolls over 10 million on the odo

On the cusp on the introduction of the latest model, the Chevrolet Malibu is celebrating a major milestone with 10 million of them now on the road since the car's introduction 51 years ago. While not quite enough to rank among the best-selling vehicles of all time, the feat is impressive considering the name took over a decade off from the Chevy lineup in the '80s and '90s. The Malibu started life in 1964 as the top trim on Chevy's new, midsize model, which also included the 300 and Chevelle. Offered in a plethora of body styles, including a wagon and convertible, the Bowtie brand moved over 370,000 of them in the first year. By 1969, sales reached more than 503,000. However, the market for rear-wheel drive sedans eventually softened in the US, and the Malibu name was dropped in 1983. The moniker returned in front-wheel-drive form in 1997 and has been a part of the lineup again ever since. These days, the Malibu is obviously only available as a four-door, but the model is more efficient than ever. The larger, lighter 2016 example can get up to 37 miles per gallon highway with its 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder or 47 mpg combined when the hybrid goes on sale next year. You can get a great look at the Malibu's changes from the original until now in the gallery above. Related Video: MALIBU MILESTONE: 10 MILLION CUSTOMERS SERVED 31/08/15 Venerable sedan's 51-year legacy strongest in U.S., China and Korea DETROIT – Fifty-one years after it was introduced as Chevrolet's first midsize car, production of the venerable Malibu sedan has crossed the 10-million mark. Chevrolet celebrated the sales achievement today for the global sedan in the United States, China and Korea, which collectively account for more than 90 percent of sales. The Malibu is sold in more than 25 markets around the world. "The Chevy Malibu joins an exclusive club of vehicles that have achieved this extraordinary milestone and we acknowledge it today by honoring the common thread linking every one produced: The customer," said Alan Batey, president, global Chevrolet. "Some people are buying their very first Malibu today and others may have driven a Malibu from a different generation as their first car. It is a car that has resonated with customers for more than half a century." Chevrolet's interaction with customers has evolved since the Malibu was introduced in 1964. Back then, an owner's manual and a personal relationship with the dealer defined conventional customer service.

Should Chevrolet continue the SS for another generation?

It is no shocker to say that Chevy kinda messed up with the SS. Now before everyone gets their facts and figures out, lets be real. The SS probably shouldn't have happened in the first place. Chevy hardly promoted the car when it released. It quietly came to our shores (the SS is really a Holden VF Commodore). It was the same with the Pontiac G8 before GM axed the brand. With the G8 however, it got more attention due to the heavy marketing Pontiac did with the car despite the low sales numbers. The SS fills the void of a performance sedan for Chevrolet mainly because there isn't a Impala SS sedan anymore. The SS also shares the same platform with the Chevrolet Caprice PPV, a fleet vehicle only available for your local police station since again the Impala doesn't fill that void any longer. But should the SS continue on in a future life? My answer: No! It was great for Chevy to do this little experiment, and I am sure they learned a lot from releasing the SS and the Caprice as well. But why not take the essence of both of those vehicles and combine them into a new next generation Impala. The Impala SS can return once again in a proper way, and a PPV version of the Impala can go into production. Kinda like what Ford and Dodge did with their performance and police versions of the Taurus and Charger. There really isn't a need to have 2 extra models in the line up when the Impala can fill all 3 voids. With the Holden VF Commodore going out of production in 2017, the Chevrolet SS may not be around much longer. There are rumors that the Commodore will live on in a new global vehicle, so if that is true it could mean the end of the RWD V8 sedans from Australia. But Chevrolet could continue the formula of the SS in the Impala, and it may turn out to be very successful for them. Image Credit: Chevrolet Chevrolet open road

Why does Chevy want to trademark Camaro Krypton?

The Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang have the type of long-lived rivalry that is often found in the pages of comic books. Is the Camaro the Kryptonite to the Mustang's Superman, though? We might get to find out soon, if two recent trademark filings are any hints. On May 5, General Motors filed trademarks in the US for both Krypton and Camaro Krypton (not pictured above). While the move seemed potentially timed with the release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice next year, engineer Al Oppenheiser shot that theory down to The Detroit Free Press. "I think that's just Internet buzz, which is great," he said to the newspaper about the alleged connection. "It's another thing about this segment of cars: there's always Internet buzz." Rather than a special edition connected to next the superhero film, Oppenheiser speculated something else. "Sometimes when we come up with a new color in our studios, they just apply [for a trademark] in case we ever use it," he said to The Detroit Free Press. "We never said we're going to do anything with that color." Still, as Superman's home planet and part of the name for the mineral that can harm him, Krypton undoubtedly has a superhero connection. To maintain the link to the comics, such a color would likely be a shade of green. Although, depending on the depiction in the books, the exact hue can vary between bright neon and a darker tone. Related Video: