New Chevy "Nubira" Spy Pics

[I-Love-Pontiac]

Yawn. Let's hope the engineering is better than the styling.

Isn't this the platform GM is spending 2 billion on? Yeesh.

[Murrow]

Originally Posted by paul8488

Oh dear... I hope it doesn't end up with that fake rear C-pillar window like the Sebring!

I immediately had the exact same thought!

[GM-Joe]

It has a nice shape without a lot of waste; and it isn't goofy looking like the civic or corollar.

[Minnesota Nice]

The wheels remind me of the rims on the Civic EX models, but the overall car reminds me a lot of the Nissan Sentra.

[04bonnie]

Well I hope they don't change the name from Cobalt. It's already stupid that they changed Cavalier to Cobalt, why can't they keep a name running like they used to? the Cavalier name had a good run to it, and beginning to get some nestalgia, and it's unfortunate they (GM), can't keep a name around. I hate to say this, but Toyota has had the Corolla since the 70's, and I hate to think Toyota has nestalgia. I think Chevy is wise to keep the Impala name around, but it's unfortunate it wasn't around for a few model years (between 97? and 2000)

Anyway, this spy photo looks good, the car is nice looking, if it makes it to the US.

[GMfan1111]

I agree 04 bonnie why does GM kill longlasting names. for example killing the lesabre which was americas best selling mid sized car for a good portion of its production run and replace it with the lacrosse or even better and i agree with you also on the questionable name change to cobalt from the long running cavalier granted the 90's were not the best years for these cars in terms of quality and horsepower but i'm sure GM could have kept the name and gixed the cars issues. anyway back to this spyshot, GM has made great strides in exterior and interior design recently and i do like the tailight treatment on this mule kinda reminds me of a lexus back there. also the rear seats (could be the angle of the camera look rather cramped Of course GM will fix that before this thing hits production

[eb110americana]

Originally Posted by Minnesota Nice

The wheels remind me of the rims on the Civic EX models, but the overall car reminds me a lot of the Nissan Sentra.

Yeah, I had the same thoughts. It has similar tall car proportions and an arched roofline like the newest Sentra, I think that's a big reason why. Incidentally, I think that's the biggest thing to note from these pictures: the raised roofline over our current Delta I offerings such as the Cobalt. (If there is any doubt, note the large amounts of airspace above the driver's head and how small the rims look in comparison to the car's height.) This means seating will probably be a bit more upright, yielding much improved rear seat legroom.

Style-wise, there's not too much to dislike about this car, but not much more exciting than the current Cobalt. I'd like to see the faux rear window triangle on the C-pillar go away (as others have said) and a more 2008 Malibu profile cut in the rear window trim. The headlights are pretty boring and should definitely be spiced up for a Cobalt, while the taillights should be less Altezza and more creative versions of the dual unit round Chevy lights.

This car almost needs two versions in Chevy form. One for the masses who are sure to buy this car as a sensible means of transportation, and a slightly more cutting edge version to entice younger buyers. All too often car companies will go for the latter, only to have 50-somethings driving them. I think that is the case with the current Civic, whereas the Corolla is more the snoozefest sensible choice. A coupe could help split the difference, but it would be nice to see something simple like optional unique bumper caps and headlights/taillights that are more daring to keep the car from being seen as the stale rental-bound unit people see today.

The other versions from Saturn/Opel/Vauxhall and Saab will of course be more Euro-chic, but they must also be inherently more classy and thus, less youthful than the Chevy variant has the opportunity to be.

[t-rex]

I'll also agree with 04bonnie... while the Cavalier was a piece of crap, most customers simply saw it as a cheap car, not necessarily a nasty one. I don't think keeping the Cav name would have hurt the Cobalt, and in fact, I believe keeping continuity of a familiar name might be an advantage to the Delta-II 'balt. Cobalt's just a forgettable name (and I'm partial to the way Cavalier sounds!). But I have to disagree with GMfan1111. I think it's wise for Buick to dump all its old names. "LeSabre" just screams grannymobile. I think new, fresh, upscale names like LaCrosse, Lucerne, and Enclave give the product a better chance of capturing new buyers, and the traditional blue-rinse set will be happy with car no matter what it's called. Although I'd love to see the Riviera name return, maybe on a production Velite...

As for the car in the photo, it looks good to me. I think the Sebringesque little corner of the back window/door can look good if it's executed properly. It's not a bad styling feature, just Chrysler managed to muck it up. The Opel Rekord and Omega had a feature similar to this and looked good on them. It's all in how well it's executed. In fact I believe such a styling feature, if done right, will make it appear to be a bigger car, and make it more appealing to customers, especially those stepping down into smaller cars because of rising fuel prices.

Maybe the G5 will get a styling theme based of the WTCC concept. Sure it was shown as a Chevy, but Chevrolet needs anodyne middle-market styling, while Pontiac really needs something wild and edgy. Again, I think it's a bad idea to think of Pontiac solely as a "performance" division; that simply isn't going to play well image-wise as fuel prices climb. Rather, "excitement" should be Pontiac's key theme. Radically-styled, hi-po small models may, five years from now, be crucial to Pontiac's success, appealing to customers who can only afford a Corolla, but want something more eye-catching and sporty. Pontiac are better poised than Chevy to offer something in the Evo and WRX market, even if the excitement is in image rather than actual capability.

And I'd be excited if they bring a small Buick to market. I'm a Buickophile, only I've been waiting 30 years for the brand to produce something I'd actually buy. An upscale, high-quality, small sedan might have appeal to those of us urbanites who need a small car, but don't want to sacrifice luxury and prestige. Such a model would definitely be a niche product, but there's no need to deprive the market of it. Something like this would be a great commuter car for my wife, since I do the bulk of the kid-hauling!

And the Oz/NZ market would likely welcome the new Delta-II sedan, since it'll bring Opel-like quality back to the Corolla segment, but without the Opel's highish cost. Aussies don't seem to care for the Daewoldens very much. Just like GM needs a Camry-killer in the US market, they need a Corolla-killer in the antipodes.

And I pray they simply let the HHR die once its popularity wanes. You simply can't create successors to one-off designs like this, since the magic can't be captured a second time round. Rather something like the HHR should be replaced with either another nichey sort of model, or with the sub-Theta crossover that's being developed for Opel.

[GMfan1111]

loo t rex i'm not

[CobaltSScrazy]

Originally Posted by eb110americana

Yeah, I had the same thoughts. It has similar tall car proportions and an arched roofline like the newest Sentra, I think that's a big reason why. Incidentally, I think that's the biggest thing to note from these pictures: the raised roofline over our current Delta I offerings such as the Cobalt. (If there is any doubt, note the large amounts of airspace above the driver's head and how small the rims look in comparison to the car's height.) This means seating will probably be a bit more upright, yielding much improved rear seat legroom.

Style-wise, there's not too much to dislike about this car, but not much more exciting than the current Cobalt. I'd like to see the faux rear window triangle on the C-pillar go away (as others have said) and a more 2008 Malibu profile cut in the rear window trim. The headlights are pretty boring and should definitely be spiced up for a Cobalt, while the taillights should be less Altezza and more creative versions of the dual unit round Chevy lights.

This car almost needs two versions in Chevy form. One for the masses who are sure to buy this car as a sensible means of transportation, and a slightly more cutting edge version to entice younger buyers. All too often car companies will go for the latter, only to have 50-somethings driving them. I think that is the case with the current Civic, whereas the Corolla is more the snoozefest sensible choice. A coupe could help split the difference, but it would be nice to see something simple like optional unique bumper caps and headlights/taillights that are more daring to keep the car from being seen as the stale rental-bound unit people see today.

The other versions from Saturn/Opel/Vauxhall and Saab will of course be more Euro-chic, but they must also be inherently more classy and thus, less youthful than the Chevy variant has the opportunity to be.

oh gosh, higher center of gravity=worse handling=car already sits WAY too high=the 2 inch lowering springs my bro put on our 06 Cobalt make the car sit 'like it should'

CobaltSScrazy

That BETTER NOT be the next cobalt! looks boooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring!

[EldoFan]

Originally Posted by 91 s-10baja

the rear quarter looks like a mazda 3 and a lex GS (to me!!)

Agreed!

[CrunkedRL]

From what the camo will allow me to see the new 'Nubira' looks like it has similar styling cues with the new Mazda6 IMO. I think this car looks sharp from what I can tell but I'm not too sure how well it will fit into Chevy's new design language. This car has more of a Euro/Japanese feeling to it and if anything I could see it subplanted into SAAB as an entry level vehicle as opposed to Chevy...And where the hell are the headrests for rear seats?

[PeterPuck]

Originally Posted by 04bonnie

Well I hope they don't change the name from Cobalt. It's already stupid that they changed Cavalier to Cobalt, why can't they keep a name running like they used to? the Cavalier name had a good run to it, and beginning to get some nestalgia, and it's unfortunate they (GM), can't keep a name around.

I don't think many people want to tell their co-workers that they just bought a "Cavalier".

[GMfan1111]

oops it seems my computer decided to turn to rubbish last post anyway what i was trying to say was while I do not question the enclave name (its pretty good) the rest of the lineup allure/lacross and the lucerne are not worthy replacements. The lucerne in particular is getting the same older customers that the park avenue got and while the lesabre might have been an ideal represenative for granny drivers everywhere it managed to do something that its lacross replacement couldn't and thats earn the title of americas best selling mid size car for a good portion of its production run

[2648562]

I'll have to go back and look at it again, but I don't see anything good about it. If it's coming to America it better be cheap, get class trouncing fuel mileage, or drive itself. It's a major disappointment. But then again, sorry to sound like a Toyota fan, GM's cars are mostly major dissapointments.