Just as Chevrolet rolled out a big advertising campaign for the new Malibu, a strike curtailed production. GM's market share, moreover, has dropped to 30.2 percent, more than 10 points below a decade ago. But GM officials are convinced that as all the redesigned cars come on stream this year, the company's share will rise to 33 percent or more. Success by design. Design, of course, is only one part of the complex process that produces a finished vehicle, but it is an extremely important part.
Cars are more than transportation appliances.
They embody art and emotion that fulfill functional needs for owners, including, in some cases, providing an identity. Creating the look and feel and layout of a vehicle has profound implications for how well it sells. In less than a decade, Chrysler's world-class designs helped it vault from near death to a widely respected, highly profitable company. If a product didn't look right, argued Chrysler officials, it wouldn't even be in the hunt. GM aims to do the same.