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Showing posts with label Eco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eco. Show all posts

Monday, December 19, 2011

Malibu will get Eco and turbo options

General Motors is deploying an array of engine choices to help its next-generation Chevrolet Malibu stand out in the crowded market for mid-sized sedans.
The Eco version of the 2013 Malibu is scheduled to go on sale in February or March. It will have a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine and GM's mild hybrid system. That trim level will be sold alongside the 2012 Malibu for about six months.
At that point GM will begin offering more engine choices for the 2013 Malibu, and the old car will be phased out.
By late summer GM will offer a new 2.5-liter Ecotec four-cylinder as the base engine for the 2013 Malibu. And last week GM said it eventually will offer a new 2.0-liter turbo engine.
GM wouldn't discuss the specifications or timing for the turbo. But the engine is expected to be available as an option by the end of 2012.
The turbo engine will offer a more powerful option to Malibu buyers who might miss the six banger, which is offered in the current Malibu but is being phased out for the redesign.
The Malibu will join the Hyundai Sonata as the only other entry among top-selling mid-sized sedans to offer a turbo.
The staggered launch comes at the urging of GM CEO Dan Akerson, who pressed product developers to accelerate the introduction of the redesigned Malibu. The engine in the Eco version was ready for production earlier than the others.
The first-quarter launch of the Eco trim level allows GM to debut the sedan ahead of a few key rivals. Redesigns of the Ford Fusion, Honda Accord and Nissan Altima are scheduled to be introduced later in 2012. New generations of the top-selling Toyota Camry and the Volkswagen Passat debuted this fall.
"It gives us the opportunity to launch the car in a little bit of clear space as a technology and fuel economy story," said Russ Clark, Chevy's director of marketing for mid-sized and performance cars and compact crossovers, during a Chevy event here.
The Malibu Eco uses a small electric motor, a lithium ion battery and a stop-start system to boost fuel economy by about 12 percent, to 25 mpg in city driv-ing and 37 mpg on the highway, GM estimates. It's priced at $25,995, including a $760 destination charge.
The current Chevy Malibu, launched in 2007, played a major role in the comeback of the brand's sedan lineup. The next-generation Malibu has a bolder, more muscular design that GM executives hope will set it apart from rivals in the segment.
GM sold 191,774 Malibus through the first 11 months of this year, up 2 percent from the same period a year earlier.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Chevy: Eco version of Malibu targets 38 mpg on highway

General Motors today unveiled an Eco version of the next-generation Chevrolet Malibu that the automaker says will get an estimated 38 mpg on the highway, a level reached by many conventional hybrids.

The Malibu Eco will have GM's eAssist technology, a start-stop system to be introduced this year in the Buick LaCrosse and Regal sedans.

The redesigned Malibu, which goes on sale early next year as a 2013 model, will be the first Chevrolet to get the fuel-saving technology.

Mark Reuss, GM's North American president, said the relatively inexpensive technology gives buyers an affordable option to significantly boost fuel economy without having to buy a conventional hybrid or plug-in hybrid such as the Chevrolet Volt.

"Not everyone can afford those. We know that," Reuss told reporters today after unveiling the Eco version of the next-generation Malibu at the New York auto show.

The new mid-sized sedan was unveiled Monday at the Shanghai auto show.

"The customer base finds cars like this very attractive because they pay for themselves," Reuss said.

He said it will be the most fuel-efficient mid-sized car Chevrolet has ever made. Prices for the 2013 Malibu won't be announced until closer to its launch. GM estimates the Eco version will get 38 mpg highway/26 mpg city.

Reuss said the Malibu Eco will beat many conventional hybrids, including the Toyota Camry Hybrid and Ford Fusion Hybrid, based on GM's mpg estimates. An official EPA rating hasn't been assigned.

Sometimes called a "mild hybrid, the eAssist system uses power stored in a lithium ion battery and an electric motor generator to give a boost to the 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine when the car accelerates.

A start-stop feature also saves fuel when the vehicle stops, while regenerative braking transfers electricity to the battery.