General Motors Company (GM) Tries Again to Catch Ford Motor Company (F)’s Fusion

The revised Malibu faces a different kind of competition than the Cadillac, but it’s no less fierce. Toyota Motor Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:TM) and Honda Motor Co Ltd (ADR) (NYSE:HMC) are the perennial leaders in this class and have huge followings of intensely loyal customers. And Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F)’s Fusion has been a big hit – so big that Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) is adding a second factory to keep up with demand.

This new Malibu will have to be more than just good to make an impression on that crowd. On paper, it looks like a bunch of small changes that could add up to a big improvement. We’ll know more once reviewers get a chance to drive it.

But just the fact that it exists is a big deal. Old GM’s management wouldn’t have bothered to do anything like this. They would have been happy to cut prices and crank up fleet sales and pat themselves on the back for another “best-seller”.

Clearly, that approach doesn’t fly anymore at GM. And that says a lot about how much the company has changed under Dan Akerson.

The article GM Tries Again to Catch Ford’s Fusion originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by John Rosevear.

Fool contributor John Rosevear owns shares of Ford and General Motors. Follow him on Twitter at @jrosevear. The Motley Fool recommends BMW, Ford, and General Motors, and owns shares of Ford.

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