The current Chevrolet Malibu mid-sized sedan is only sold in North America and a few other select markets but the new one is going truly global.
Chevrolet has just released a teaser shot of the new car's Camaro-like taillights, while the picture below is a leaked patent sketch showing the front view. The full reveal takes place at the Shanghai Auto Show in China on 19 April.
"This Malibu takes Chevrolet's established and award-winning nameplate to new places and introduces it to new audiences around the world," said Chevrolet's vice president, Rick Scheidt. "Whether the Malibu is sold in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, or Australia, it has been engineered from the ground up to meet the needs of customers around the world."
The Malibu will be sold in nearly 100 countries on six continents and built in multiple locations, including China and two facilities in the United States. We are still awaiting a response from GMSA on whether we can expect it in South Africa (where it would slot neatly between the Cruze and Lumina) although the abovementioned quote does sound promising.
According to GM, the Malibu will feature a global family of fuel-efficient and powerful four-cylinder engines, mated to six-speed transmissions.
The current Malibu was GM's best-selling car in the USA last year, with sales of nearly 200 000 units and its replacement will be the eighth generation of the nameplate, which was introduced in 1964.