Next-gen Malibu Still A Year Off For the U.S.

[Drew Dowdell]

Next-gen Malibu Still A Year Off For the U.S.

Chris Doane - CheersandGears.com

January 27, 2011

If you were hoping to drive the next-generation Chevy Malibu this summer, you'll need to ask yourself one question.

"Do I live in the United States?"

If you answered yes, call your travel agent and make sure your passport is up-to-date. Any summer wheelin' in the new Malibu will require a quick hop to Korea.

Earlier today, GM announced to several of its' suppliers that the start of regular production for the U.S. market Chevy Malibu would be in early January of 2012. If that seems like a long wait, count your blessings. The original timeline didn't have production kicking off until May 2012.

Much like the rollout for the Chevy Cruze, export markets should get their hands on the new Malibu quite a bit sooner. Built in Korea, and wearing a Holden Epica badge, this foreign market version will go into production in the summer, or early Fall, of this year. While that might irritate American buyers, it may at least point to a debut of the Malibu at the 2011 New York Auto Show.

Once Chevy starts churning out the new Malibu from the Fairfax and Detroit Hamtramck plants, there's not likely to be any V6 engines under the hood. Instead, you'll find the 2.4L SIDI 4-cylinder or the direct-inject, turbo-charged 2.0L 4-cylinder.

There will also be a "mild hybrid" Malibu, utilizing the second generation Belt Alternator System. Formerly dubbed "BAS-Plus," we now know it as "eAssist." The same system will appear in the 2012 Buick Lacrosse where it is said to increase fuel economy by 25%. Similar gains should be expected in the Malibu.

For fans of the current Malibu, GM will continue building them through the 2012 model year. Expect it to wear a "Classic" badge during its' final run.

© 2011 CheersandGears.com - Do not republish without permission

Related:

Spyshots as the 2012 Malibu draws closer

Understanding the 2012 Buick Lacrosse eAssist

Buick: What We've Learned - Verano likely to get eAssist

[loki]

i love classics!!!!

lol

[regfootball]

classic redux.......just say fleet

bye bye v6, thanks feds

should be interesting the transformation this time around. hopefully its just a good solid basic car that improves the interior and trunk space. Current Malibu is decent, but things change so fast in this segment. Malibu wants to go vanilla now. I think the eAssist may turn out to be a nice feature for this car.

actually should be interesting to see how the turbo ends up acceleration wise.

Edited January 28, 2011 by regfootball

[daves87rs]

Interesting..

[CSpec]

A shame, but it seems most other manufacturers do this as well for some reason.

[vonVeezelsnider]

I was expecting this ever since the marketers said they'd be focusing on the Cruze all year.

[@dmin]

"yawn...." <- current mid-size car market

[ocnblu]

I am not impressed. A Chevrolet Malibu... just another GM Generica sedan? Unconscionable. There's nothing to be enthused about with GM anymore.

[hyperv6]

I am not impressed. A Chevrolet Malibu... just another GM Generica sedan? Unconscionable. There's nothing to be enthused about with GM anymore.

This car is to make money and get MPG and that is all it is to do at least to this point. That is all the Accord and Camry were too and they made a hell of a lot of money. The fact is the general boring cars are bought by the many generally boaring people.

There were reports a month or two ago we had posted here that the BU was a ways off yet so this is not anything new.

We will have other cars for the rest in the future. Just never expect each and every car to appeal to all people anymore. Each one has a target market and on this site the Bu is not targeted at most of us.

[regfootball]

I am not impressed. A Chevrolet Malibu... just another GM Generica sedan? Unconscionable. There's nothing to be enthused about with GM anymore.

No Sonic Hedgehog with turbo? That is an enthusiasts car for the new normal.

[CSpec]

I am not impressed. A Chevrolet Malibu... just another GM Generica sedan? Unconscionable. There's nothing to be enthused about with GM anymore.

Hasn't the Malibu always been a boring sedan (this side of 1990)?

[ocnblu]

My point being... a Chevrolet Malibu should be nothing else. And it, since 1964, has been an AMERICAN product. For this legendary name to be introduced in some far-off land under a different guise... FIRST... just seems absolutely wrong and totally foreign to everything that has made me believe in GM my whole life. They suck, simply put.

[Drew Dowdell]

It's still all American. GM is just testing it for defects in another country where its success is less critical before releasing it in their most important market.

[regfootball]

Gms products need to be all global now

[thedriver]

I disagree. If Japan Inc. can make home versions and US versions and European versions, so can GM.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

I don't see what the big surprise is here....

Chevrolet IS a Korean brand. Most of their cars are designed there, ALL of their cars are designed to sell to that price range and even in america, apparently they're only competing with the bottom end of the market now. (former Korean slot)

I guess Corvette (which is becoming it's own brand, in a way) and Camaro will be the exceptions, unless the F6 is cheapened and beaten with an ugly stick.

[Drew Dowdell]

I don't see what the big surprise is here....

Chevrolet IS a Korean brand. Most of their cars are designed there, ALL of their cars are designed to sell to that price range and even in america, apparently they're only competing with the bottom end of the market now. (former Korean slot)

I guess Corvette (which is becoming it's own brand, in a way) and Camaro will be the exceptions, unless the F6 is cheapened and beaten with an ugly stick.

uh... what?

This is an Epsilon II platform... designed mostly in the U.S. with a bit of help from the Germans. The next Malibu is a restyled Regal, which makes is more German than Korean.

Jim doesn't look Korean to me.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[Robert Hall]

uh... what?

This is an Epsilon II platform... designed mostly in the U.S. with a bit of help from the Germans. The next Malibu is a restyled Regal, which makes is more German than Korean.

.

Isn't the Malibu going to be a Chevywoo international model, replacing the Epica outside NA? Like the Cruze, Aveo and Spark..all from GMDAT or whatever they are calling it this week...

[Drew Dowdell]

Isn't the Malibu going to be a Chevywoo international model, replacing the Epica outside NA? Like the Cruze, Aveo and Spark..all from GMDAT or whatever they are calling it this week...

Which means Korea is getting an American car. Not the other way around.

[Chris_Doane]

The chassis is Opel and the design in GMNA.

Korea is getting our car.

[Robert Hall]

The chassis is Opel and the design in GMNA.

Korea is getting our car.

Ok..I stand corrected..I thought I had read it was being designed by GMDAT like the Cruze, etc.

[ocnblu]

Selling a Chevrolet Malibu (remember, no more Daewoo-branded vehicles) or "Epica" overseas first to "get the bugs out" could also be perceived this way: GM has no confidence in the product, no confidence in their development testing, and they're using the buying public in Korea and Australia as guinea pigs before bringing it to its home market. Brutal criticism? Perhaps, but this practice is a sketchy one. Like the Cruze, US buyers will see it online for, oh... how many months or years before they can buy it, greatly reducing its freshness when it finally does hit the lots here.

[Robert Hall]

Like the Cruze, US buyers will see it online for, oh... how many months or years before they can buy it, greatly reducing its freshness when it finally does hit the lots here.[/b]

That's only the enthusiast community, though..99% of car buyers have no knowledge of the existence of car markets outside the US.

[Chris_Doane]

Ok..I stand corrected..I thought I had read it was being designed by GMDAT like the Cruze, etc.

GMDAT will have the lead on most of the small stuff.

Sonic, Cruze, etc.

[Robert Hall]

Hasn't the Malibu always been a boring sedan (this side of 1990)?

Yes, from when it replaced the Corsica and the name came back in '97. Even the last RWD ones from '78-83 were as dull as their FWD replacements (Celebrity).