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| Plant Manager Barry Herr and Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating drove one of the first 1997 production Chevrolet Malibus at the General Motors assembly plant in Oklahoma City Nov. 20, 1996. Earlier in the day, Motor Trend named Malibu as the magazine's 1997 Car of the Year. Chevrolet began shipping Malibus to dealers Nov. 15, 1996. |
Chevy's 1997 Malibu, brought out 14 years after the previous generation car of the same name was put out to pasture, had the same basic target market as our old '76 coupe - North American families. Trying to hit a chord with import buyers, Chevy thinly disguised the Japanese-style sedan by hiding its bowtie emblem within a stylized wave logo, unique to this model.
It seems reasonable that Chevrolet might want to distance itself from the Malibu's predecessor, the less than inspired Corsica, and separate its new midsize entry from the utilitarian Cavalier and somewhat dated Lumina, neither making any ground in the import war.
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| 1998 Malibu interior. |
Whatever the Chevrolet team did, they did it right. The Malibu became a popular family car for good reason. Like my first ride, it represented solid car for a solid value. Impressive extras included standard air-conditioning and standard anti-lock brakes, both top priority features for family minded buyers. Other standard features included intermittent wipers, power brakes, power steering, remote trunk release, tachometer, tilt steering, tinted glass and velour/cloth upholstery.