Rumored: 2014 Malibu MCE

Personal File: There has been a lot of talk about the sudden about-face - literally - on Chevrolet brand vehicles. With the new Impala and updated Traverse, Chevrolet has set about to remake their now established split face grille.

Not surprisingly, the 2013 Malibu was unveiled and later released without the new corporate face established with the vehicles above. Development had long since been done. Rumors flew and were confirmed by January of this year that an unplanned 18-month MCE would be done to "adjust" the look as well as address rear seating concerns and other issues.

Wondering how the new "beak" would look I decided to try a rendering similar to the Cruze I did last year. I've seen online where many artists have simply copied the entire Impala over the front of the car but I doubt it will be a literal Xerox copy. My theory is GM will spend as little money as possible on hard points and focus instead on the hood, front fascia, grilles, and lighting assemblies.

Using my newly integrated Before-and-After plugin, here is my take on what the MCE might look like. What do you think? Click around the image or move the slider to view different areas of the chop. Or click the before and the after buttons below the rendering. Comments on the rendering or the new plugin are appreciated!

I just read on Jalopnik the new face might be making a special appearance at New York NAIAS - that would be a great way to end a great showing for Chevrolet! It has been a great show for GM.

All source photos copyright original owners

Thoughts on 2013 Chevrolet Malibu

Personal File: This is a post I've been working on for quite some time as I really can't get past the 'bangle butt' on the recently unveiled 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. Don't get me wrong though, this car is amazing and the interior is top notch. I just don't care for some of the high level exterior details.

Not one to leave a stone unturned, I wanted to see what I could do with it. So I created two different looks for the rear clip:

1. Clean and Contemporary Look (simplified rear fenders, more integrated trunk lid, adjusted rear passenger window cut line, and simplified tail lights)
2. Retro-inspired (mid to late 50s) Look (completely rescultped rear fenders, trunk lid, adjusted rear passenger window, and further tweaked tail lights)

Since I was on a roll, I went ahead and modified the front end as well. IHMO, I feel it too is a little over designed.

• Here is my simplified front end idea. This would not only clean up the front end but also align the vehicle visually with the Chevrolet Cruze LTZ as well.

What do you think? Do my adjustments look better? worse? or just different? :)

All source photos copyright original owners

An Early Look at the 2011 Dodge Charger

From Edmunds InsideLine: A couple weeks ago we got our best glimpse yet of the refreshed 2011 Dodge Charger. It was such a clean look, we wouldn't be surprised if it was a setup. But who cares? We got to see the new face of the Charger, which isn't all that different from the old face of the Charger. It's a refresh after all, not a complete redesign.

It did, however, give us enough to generate this photo illustration of the complete car, especially since Dodge has been kind enough to throw out a few hints over the last year or so.

Click here to view this article.

All source photos copyright original owners.

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UPDATE: The link to this article no longer exists as Edmunds' Inside Line was discontinued in 2013. You can still view the original article via the Wayback Machine.

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Rendered: 2012 BMW M5

From Edmunds InsideLine: SANTA MONICA, California — So now that the 2011 BMW 5 Series is out in the open, it's time to move on to the really good stuff. We're referring to the next BMW M5, of course, you know the one we spotted on the Nürburgring late last year?

Click here to view this article.

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UPDATE: The link to this article no longer exists as Edmunds' Inside Line was discontinued in 2013. You can still view the original article via the Wayback Machine.

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My wish list for the 2011 Buick Regal

Personal File: I recently read on GMInsideNews that production of the Buick Regal will be moving to Oshawa Canada starting in 2011. This is great news as there is a possibility that the vehicle could receive a few more Buick design cues. The only major change moving it from Opel to Buick for 2010 was the grille change.

In the hope that something more may come of this production switch, I wanted to put together a "wish list" of items I feel would truly integrate the Regal for Buick North America.

Edits include:

• Revised profile - sweep-spear profile added similar to LaCrosse and the Opel downturning swoosh in the front door has been removed
• Revised tail lights - to reflect similiarly, but not exactly, to the LaCrosse
• Redefined trunk cutline - this is just a pet peeve of mine! The current trunk line is very awkward so I tried to adjust it to a more pleasing line that extends up from the bumper cover trim/cut line until it reaches the back window glass
• Revised trunk chrome bar/badges - cut off parts of both sides of the chrome bar that extended into the lights and slightly moved badging to further bring similiarty to the LaCrosse
• New wheels - the current wheels are terribly drab so I grabbed the wheels from the LaCrosse concept for proof of concept.

Now I think it looks like a proper Buick! What do you think?

All source photos copyright original owners

Kia Cadenza - who put your badge on outside of your grille?

Personal File: KIA has developed a great new design language that is punctuated with its dog-bone grille with a large KIA logo centered inside.

Well maybe not ... I see that KIA released images of the new Cadenza sedan and what happened to the logo? It is sitting on the hood! What were they thinking? I had to put it back where it belonged ... take a look above.

All source photos copyright original owners

2011 Chrysler Sebring - Mid-cycle Enhancement by way of 200C Concept?

Personal File: Seems the fate of the much maligned Chrysler Sebring and platform mate Dodge Avenger are not as bad as originally reported. According to reports by AutoWeek and AutoBlog, it appears the platform may be getting a much needed mid-cycle enhancement. This MCE will hopefully help boost sales until fresh product (and capital) from Fiat can arrive by 2012.

If this is the case, I certainly hope they will integrate design cues from the stunning 200c concept shown at Detroit. In the spirit of this news, I have rendered what a 2011 Sebring might very much look like if they go in this direction. Updates include revised front clip from 200c, completely reworked profile (removed all Crossfire cues), new wheels, new side door trim from 300c, deletion of c-pillar black plastic triangle, and new chrome ring around the top of the doors

What do you think? Click the image above for a larger view.

All source photos copyright original owners

The new Nissan Maxima headlights - are they serious?

Personal File: As much as I am impressed with Nissan's new design language established with the 370Z and Maxima, I'm not a big fan of the headlight and tail light design. These so called "boomerang" headlights on the Maxima, for example, look completely alien to me. They are so over styled that I cannot appreciate the rest of the vehicle from any front or side angle.

I couldn't resist the urge to remove the "boomerang" hooks and decided to make some improvements. I think the car is much easier on the eye with these adjustments. What do you think?

Original Photo Copyright Nissan Motors Corporation, USA

Should the G8 become the Chevy Camaro SS Sedan?

From Edmunds StraightLine: Yeah, you read that right, Chevrolet Camaro SS Sedan. If there can be a BMW M3 sedan why not a four-door Camaro?

The Camaro and the G8 already share a platform and although their engines aren't exactly the same they're pretty close. Leave the Impala for family duty and keep the rebadged G8 what it should be -- a full fledged sport sedan.

Click here to view this article.

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UPDATE: The link to this article no longer exists as Edmunds' Inside Line was discontinued in 2013. You can still view the original article via the Wayback Machine.

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