The closest competitor that Chevrolet had to the hybrid offerings of the midsize sedan segment was the 2013 Malibu Eco. Unfortunately for Chevy, the take rate was so low that the BAS eAssist sedan was discontinued after one model year. Not the proudest moment for the Malibu name plate, which has been around for a few decades now.
Luckily, it appears that Chevrolet has learned from the recent past, and today, have shed some light on the upcoming all-new 2016 Malibu Hybrid. Here’s what you need to know:
- The promise of well above 45 miles per gallon combined from the all-new powertrain, though final numbers will be announced April 1 during the 2015 New York Auto Show. That’s better than three of the Malibu’s major competitors; the Ford Fusion Hybrid, the Toyota Camry Hybrid, and the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. Currently, the Honda Accord Hybrid is the segment leader with a very impressive 47 combined mpg.
- The powertrain features an all-new direct-injected 1.8L 4-cylinder Ecotec engine mated to a two-motor drive unit slightly modified from the new 2016 Chevrolet Volt drive unit. The unit provides additional power to assist the engine during acceleration, good for 182 horsepower (136 kW). However, despite the 2016 Malibu Hybrid borrowing 2016 Volt technology, the upcoming family sedan is not a plug-in, and the engine doesn’t act as a generator. It’s very much a traditional hybrid. The battery cell is comprised of 80 lithium-ion cells, making 1.5 kWh of power, and is capable of propelling the 2016 Malibu up to 55 mph on electricity alone.
- Along with a regenerative braking system, the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid will debut an Exhaust Gas Heat Recovery system. EGHR takes exhaust heat to warm the engine and cabin, which improves warm-up times and can help keep fuel economy more consistent in the cold months.
So, with the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, not only will you be able to control and spy on other drivers with the new Teen Driver Mode, but you’ll be able to make sure they have outstanding fuel efficiency while they’re being monitored.
Comments
And the motors are sending power to the rear wheels for a Malibu rear bias torque vectoring AWD system!
So when you say the motors are good for 182hp, does that mean we’re looking at a combined 320hp?
I’m reading elsewhere, and to clarify on your wording, the combined power will be 182hp, the GMA article kind of makes it sound like the motors are contributing 182hp on top of the 1.8L engine. So the electric drive gives an additional ~40hp
182 total horsepower to the front wheels.
I just hope this is a class leading system as anything less will not be enough.
I have a feeling it will be very good but until we see it?
This is fantastic news!
GM hasn’t had a hybrid strategy and tried to plug the hole with Eco models. To come out
and challenge Ford and Toyota in this area is important. If Volt is the bridge technology to
full BEV family vehicles and future trucks ( “Bolt” ), then this new take on hybrid tech
derived from Volt is the bridge to the bridge. The key here is to find those price points
where this makes sense to more and more consumers. For me, if I can buy a Malibu hybrid
with a battery bump in the trunk for $32,000 or a 50-mile-all-electric and 41MPG Combined
after Volt for about the same PLUS a $7500 federal tax refund – I’m going to go Volt for sure.
Sure, the Malibu will have a larger back seat – but Volt has tons more flat cargo space.
For sure this helps GM fill a need and a big gap in their product line compared to their main
competitors, now we have to see what model(s) they choose to hybridize next. The only
negative here is that ( once again ) GM is again leading from behind. Volt was the bright
victory in that nobody has yet to even challenge it’s capabilities. What I want to see is Volt
marketed strong against Prius. This way GM can dominate the full spectrum of economical
cars that need as little gas as possible to do their jobs.
Even if these are “baby steps”, I like where GM is heading.
I hope this Malibu hybrid will be a great success in the marketplace. There is zero doubt the price of gas
will rise. There is also no doubt that the oil market is being artificially discounted to try to make sure
cars like these don’t surface. It is inevitable that the non-sustainability of oil and it’s tumultuous political
connections with the Persian Gulf and O.P.E.C. will insure people will buy wisely to protect themselves.
Next move for GM ( again – trailing Ford and Honda ) is to follow this hybrid with a Malibu Plug In Hybrid.
If the Plug-In model has a 7kwh or larger lithium battery pack – it would be a strong argument against
buying a Volt, especially if you have a larger family than 2 children. Now let’s talk hybrid Equinox and
Traverse!
GM really has to hedge itself against the possibility that Hillary or another Democrat will win the
White House in 2016. So far, the G.O.P. is looking pretty flaccid – and knowing they are owned by
Big Oil we know they are the only hope to really legally challenge C.A.R.B. and C.A.F.E. emissions
and mileage standards.
The whole game is nauseating to watch. The onus here should be to provide us, the consumer with
what we want and need. But the real motivator is to comply with future increases in government
mileage mandates. I’m not a big government advocate by any means. This is different. This is
big legacy carmakers trying to do as little as possible engineering-wise to give us efficient ( less
expensive to own ) car and trucks and keep increasing profits on these vehicles, and increasing
legal and political efforts to chop down the regulations. I have been following this industry for
decades and the struggle to offer higher mileage, cleaner vehicles is a slow and pragmatic fight.
In this case, I welcome the tightening federal and state regulations as they are the only path
to more electrified vehicles for you and me. Many bright lights shine now as supercars worldwide
now are mixing electric and gas ( vs. turbocharging or supercharging ) as “E-Boost” for performance
purposes. It’s nice that better performance and efficiency and cost of ownership can walk
hand-in-hand. I expect the next Corvette, rear engined, or not – to have some form of electronic
boost and some size of battery pack on board.