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Chevrolet makes Malibu longer and sleeker

Greg Gardner
Detroit Free Press
Chevrolet is showing the new Malibu

NEW YORK — The 2016 Malibu Chevrolet unveiled Wednesday at the auto show here makes a clear and much needed break from its predecessor with a longer, sleeker exterior profile, more legroom and a hybrid option that is expected to get more than 45 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving.

Several design cues are similar to the current Impala, but the new Malibu is expected to earn its way into the upper tier of the brutally competitive midsize sedan market where its predecessor has lagged.

Through the first two months of this year, Malibu sales were 25,849, ranking seventh behind Toyota Camry (59,705), Nissan Altima (54,882), Honda Accord (42,627), Ford Fusion (42,426), Chrysler 200 (29,962) and Hyundai Sonata (26,350).

The new Malibu's design is more than an evolutionary change, but it's not so much of a visual leap that some will love it, while others loathe it.

"There was a comfortable level of discomfort as we brought this design forward," said John Cafaro, Chevrolet executive director of design. "The Impala kind of unlocked the creativity we are seeking."

Scheduled to go on sale this fall, the 2016 Malibu is 2 inches longer than the current model. The tires are pushed closer to the front and rear fascias, stretching the wheelbase by nearly 4 inches. The result is 1.3 inches of extra legroom, solving a frequent owner complaint about the current Malibu. By scalloping the rear of the front seats, there is more than enough knee room for even tall people.

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There are three powertrains. First, a new 1.5-liter turbo, six-speed transmission combination that delivers 160 horsepower and fuel economy of 27/37/31 miles per gallon in city, highway and combined driving. Second, a 2.0-liter turbo with an eight-speed transmission that will get 22 mpg in the city, 32 on the highway and 26 in combined driving.

Then the hybrid will incorporate the regenerative braking, an advanced set of lithium-ion batteries and a modified version of the 2-mode drive unit found in the Chevrolet Volt.

The hybrid will be priced above the Malibus with the 1.5 and 2.0-liter turbo engines, but it won't be any higher than what competing midsize hybrids such as Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Ford Fusion go for, said Phil Carlisle, product manager for the Malibu hybrid.

With gas prices still below $3 a gallon in most of the nation, the hybrid won't account for more than 5% to 10% of Malibu sales, but its purpose is to reach customers who previously wouldn't consider Malibu.

"We are confident we will reach new customers in markets where we're traditionally strong, but I've got to sell this car along the I-95 corridor and in the San Francisco area and Southern California," said Steve Majoros, Chevrolet director of car marketing. "The Malibu hybrid puts us in the game as a brand with the forward-looking technology certain customers want."

There will be four trim levels for the gas-only models: the L, LS, LT and Premier, which replaces the LTZ package offered on the current Malibu. The hybrid will go on sale in the first quarter of 2016.

The Malibu will come with a variety of new safety features, including front pedestrian alert that will automatically brake if walker, cyclist or skateboarder unexpected comes in front of the car. There will an audible signal in the event a driver leaves his lane without a turn signal on.

There's also a Teen Driver monitoring package that allows parents to limit the stereo volume, set a speed warning and mute the audio until all occupied seatbelts are fastened.

There's also a report card showing such data as the maximum speed and the number of speed and collision-avoidance warnings that activated during the teen's driving.

On the connectivity front, there will be 4G LTE wireless, the latest version of General Motors' MyLink touch-screen and wireless charging of mobile phones.

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