BY ALISA PRIDDLE
Front-drive Malibu was to be followed by rear-drive Impala, but those plans still are in limbo.
Dealers should start receiving the new 2008 Malibu, available in four trim levels including a hybrid version, in November.
The Malibu is the last General Motors vehicle to come from the outgoing Epsilon platform that is being replaced by the new Global Midsize Vehicle Architecture. Cars from the next-generation architecture start rolling out next year with a new European-market Opel Vectra, with a steady stream to follow.
Officials say the new architecture will eventually spawn replacements for the Pontiac G6, Saab 9-3 and 9-5, Saturn Aura, and finally a new Malibu in about four years. We expect seven different nameplates could use the new platform, with a variety of body styles including sedans, convertibles, hatchbacks and station wagons. One new variation under review is an Aura wagon for North America, based on the Vectra wagon.
The Malibu is a key product for Chevy, the first part of a one-two punch for its sedans. GM expects to sell at least 200,000 Malibus annually (2006 sales fell to about 164,000 in the U.S.), as the 2008 sedan has been completely redone inside and out (no cladding anywhere) to make the car more upscale and load it with features, many of them standard.
The wheelbase has grown six inches to 112.0, bringing it close to the Impala in size. GM’s original plan was to differentiate the two by shifting the next Impala to rear-wheel drive, sharing the Zeta platform that underpins the Pontiac G8 and the 2009 Camaro, to name two.
But uncertainty created by proposals to aggressively increase corporate average fuel efficiency (CAFE) standards have GM officials struggling with whether to proceed with that strategy. The other option is to keep the Impala FWD, and have it ride on the new Epsilon bones. While not as preferable as the original RWD plan, officials say the risk of cannibalization between a FWD Malibu and Impala likely would be overshadowed by the need to offer a sedan bigger than the Malibu, and with a larger engine.
With a stiffened structure, independent rear suspension, hydraulic power-assisted steering with the V-6, and a focus on improving NVH, Chevy wants to position the Malibu as a car that is dynamic, as well as efficient and cost-conscious.
The new Malibu will come in LS, LT, and LTZ trims with a choice of the 169-hp, 2.4-liter DOHC inline-four-cylinder Ecotec engine or GM’s 252-hp, 3.6-liter V-6 for all models. With today’s emphasis on fuel economy, Chevy officials expect 50“60 percent of customers to opt for the four-cylinder that will get 22/30 mpg in city/highway driving, as opposed to 17/26 for the V-6.
GM explored cylinder-deactivation for the V-6, where three of the six cylinders would shut down when not needed, but opted against it for a number of reasons, including the power-to-weight ratio and cost, Car and Driver is told.
For 2008, there is a mild hybrid that adds about 2 mpg and seven horses worth of overall power. The Malibu uses the same gasoline-electric hybrid system that is in the Vue, offering a start/stop function at idle and early fuel cutoff to the engine during deceleration. There are no plans to put GM’s full-hybrid or Two-Mode system into the Malibu, given the cost-conscious segment it plays in.
The V-6 will be mated to a six-speed automatic transmission that will come from South Korea until domestic production begins at a plant in Toledo, Ohio, in 2010.
Malibus with the four-cylinder engine will launch this fall with a four-speed automatic, but in April 2008, GM will start rolling out the six-speed with the four-cylinder”it should be a segment first”starting with the LTZ trim level. It likely will take a couple model years to completely phase out the four-speed that is sourced from Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It appears even the hybrid, eventually, could switch to a six-speed.
Pricing will be announced later this month, but officials suggest it will be in the $20,000 range. We hope that is an average transaction price”as a starting price it would be quite a bit more than the outgoing Malibu and competitors such as the Toyota Camry.
The car, including the hybrid version, goes into production mid-October at the Fairfax, Kansas City, plant. Chevy says there are no Maxx or SS versions currently planned.
