General Motors has slashed its advertising budget by 20% for 2009, according to Ed Peper, VP at Chevrolet. Still, there are at least two new products that are coming from Chevrolet this year, and both of them will need a big head start if they're going to make headway in this luke-warm market. After all, a botched or mistimed launch is something that could easily bring GM to its knees. For this reason, most of the available resources will be spent on the new 2009 Camaro and the upcoming Equinox, which sees a completely refreshed design for the new year.

What of Chevy's other models? GM can't really afford successful products like the Malibu to fall out of the public eye. So Peper says the automaker will rely heavily on its local dealerships to continue an advertising blitz on the mid-size sedan along with the rest of the Bow Tie's product line.