Even though it’s swimming alone in a sea of SUVs and crossovers as one of GM’s last sedan models, we still like the Chevy Malibu. Now, we’re taking another look at the Malibu, this time reimagined as a sexy new RWD sportback in the following rendering.
The new rendering comes to us from our friend Brandon L. DeJean, the same digital artist that gave us the full-size Buick SUV rendering that GM Authority covered last week. DeJean is a recent graduate from Youngstown State University, and re-imagined the Chevy Malibu nameplate on the GM Alpha II platform.
Used as the bones for compact to midsize vehicles with a longitudinal front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout, the Alpha II platform currently underpins the Cadillac CT4 and Cadillac CT5. As such, this new Chevy Malibu rendering incorporates a good deal of inspiration from Caddy’s sporty sedan models.
We also see Chevy’s current design language implemented, most notably with the front end, where the new ‘Bu gets a large lower intake section divided by horizontal bar to form a thin upper intake section. The headlamps are simple and rectangular, pulling back into the fenders with horizontal graphics, while a black Bow Tie badge and red brake calipers add an extra splash of sportiness.
Moving around the rear, this new Chevy Malibu rendering shows off its sportback style with a curvaceous trunk line and long rear glass, with the roof falling gently into the tail section. Broad horizontal tail lamps connect the trunk section and rear fenders, and incorporate cool inner graphics that enhance the vehicle’s visual width.
Further black badging is found on the trunk lid, complemented by a black lower section that houses a quartet of rounded exhaust pipes.
Unfortunately, the future of the Chevy Malibu nameplate is uncertain, and for now, it looks like the ninth-gen model is the end of the line, as no replacement is currently planned. Still, we can always dream, right?
Subscribe to GM Authority for more Chevrolet Malibu news, Chevrolet news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Comments
Looks good, except the Toyota Avalon front end.
GM authority IT IS NOT SEXY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
One has to remember that General Motors CEO Mary Barra won’t give the green light for any project that makes sense especially if it will create competition for the Cadillac CT4 and CT5; thus, this rendering is D.O.A. and will never get any further.
And just why does producing such a car “make sense”?
Unfortunately I don’t see this happening, but there could be two possibilities for a “Bu” replacement: a front wheel drive car based upon the latest Honda Accord per the two companies recent tie up, or a front (or hopefully, rear wheel drive) model based upon the Ultium car platform. Either option gives GM a new Malibu on more modern underpinnings. I would see them do the Honda based one first and then an electric version later once they start getting batteries cheap enough. As an old Pontiac G8 owner, I would love to see an affordable rear wheel drive car though!
Definitely agree with that last sentence!
I like what I am reading , Because if the Camaro is dropped by GM ,The Malibu can maybe pickup high performance . The Malibu SS would be great !
The vehicle looks a lot like my 2018 Buick Regal GS.
Well if you are going to 8msgine at least make it look like something other than just another fwd.
They are not going to make a Alpha2 Chevy sedan when that money can make more return on other products.
Now I do expect we will see RWD and AWD models on electric that will target the performance market. Not sure how they would do but they would be easy cheap risks on a EV platform.
Just moving motors around and adding bigger batteries you can make about what ever you like with little deep investment.
Tesla makes a big deal about their performance in bla looking sedans. Imagine performance in a really cool looking coupe or sedan that really has some real styling.
Basically it looks like a slightly worked over CT5; not a good thing.
Surely Brandon L. DeJean could have cleaned up the funky C-Pillar CT5 stuff going on. Too much of it is present for me to get on board with this design. The design is neither attractive nor ground breaking.
Here’s the difference though, if this were to be the next Malibu, I can be more forgiving of the exterior design versus this showing on a Cadillac.
Back to the drawing board. Literally!
Heres how I see it. Keep curent drivetrains But put the 2.7 turbo as a special Malibu SS. Way cool even if they dont sell very many. You can put me down for one if Chevy gets the ok from management
Is the 2.7 capable of being installed in a FWD configuration?
GM with Chevy would be mad to quit the sedan segment since we still have a cohort who want to buy a sedan from an American Detroit brand.
I thought GM was mad for not updating Impala and selling it at a Malibu price point exclusive to US and Canada in an effort to offer way more for less than Honda and Toyota. Nonetheless, Malibu sells better than the Koreans and often Nissan making it a segment worth holding especially for first time car buyers.
Chevy offerings something different would be great provided it does not increase price. Another option is for GM to drop Malibu in China and give Chevrolet the next gen Regal to sell as a bowtie as it would be a segment leader.
Nope. That’s not gonna work.
GM is at the back of the pack when it comes to cars. They have given up, and that is why I stay away from their lousy products.
If the Chevy SS ( manufactured in Australia with RWD and Corvette’s engine from 2014-2017) didn’t stay in production, why would a revamped RWD Malibu work? Y’all missed out! Love my manual Chevy SS!
I like this idea if offered with 2.0 3.6 and 6.2 engines, and the styling would have to be a home run. The Chevy SS is a great car but when it came out I think a lot of people mistook it for the Malibu at the time. In fact a tv show used a Chevy SS as a getaway car for the bad guy and when they blew it up they switched it for a Malibu. Styling has to stand out like the Dodge Charger. This should be done on the cheap to make since you already engineered these engines with the camaro, but it’s gotta have useable trunk and backseat and good site lines
There’s an in-depth article that explains how the Chevy SS was never intended to be a volume seller. It was a money losing venture from the get-go for Holden and there wasn’t any incentive for Chevy to devote marketing dollars to a vehicle that was only being sold to maintain or meet limited export volume and keep Australian workers employed.
This would definitely kill the Malibu…..
That front end…. 🤢🤮
I have another front end design that just wasn’t posted yet but I’m sure you won’t like that either lol
So I guess cars don’t have to have a front bumper now? The crash test rating score is about to go through the winshield!
Where’s the Maliboo Wagen…
I’m like 90% certain that’s a photoshopped Honda Accord with Buick wheels
Buick wheels yes, accord no. Though wouldn’t be a bad thing if it was with GM and Honda’s new deal
I agree that this looks like a Honda Accord with hints of Cadillac CT4/5. Sportbacks have not really appealed to American drivers. Neither car appeals to me. I am retired and have gone to a full-sized 2021 GMC Yukon Denali. Easier to step up into and down out of rather than straining to get out of low sedan anymore.
I believe this is what the Malibu is heading to. Guys here forgot about upcoming VSS-R, the Bolt is already the Chevy EV and noone is looking for a rebadged Accord.
Is VSS still happening?
Oh quit dreaming we all know it is energizer bunny pick-ups,cuvs and suvs from here on out, doubt it ask the supreme swamp creature Biden
………Go blue…….
Dodge Charger, a RWD sedan, came out in 2006 and is still around. A little late to the game GM.
It is late but if there is still sales for this segment the charger is the only one out there and really old so it’s perfect timing if you can do this without putting a lot of money in to do so with the alpha
GM did counter it with the better performing (and certain months) better selling G8, unfortunately it launched during the Housing Crisis.
What’s crazy is the v8 G8 is not cheap still
Great concept imo. Continue on alpha 1 so it doesn’t compete directly with cadillac and will be cheaper. A 4 door rwd car can work. I love the hatchback idea too. I like the headlights, but the ct5 and malibu styling should be forgotten. Tweak the styling and paint it a nice colour.
GM doomed the SS because it wasn’t american and they were just fulfilling a contract. Instant classic. If they had a good looking rwd to compete with camry/accord it will sell. Start lower than range topping accord, and go to 40g+.
Yes Yes Yes…. Make it in a SS v6 and I will get ride of my BMW x5 tomorrow!
Looks like my 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour! They may have a market base.
chevy needs to build to build a hatch sedan that’s sporty with a dct automatic or manual with quality to beat all those over in eourpe and asia and for a decent price to set an example to all other manufactories. please be bold and do it !
I like the current Malibu. The design is just right. Hopefully they won’t mess it up with the next redesign (if there ever is one…)
My wishlist would be geared towards a comfortable and practical long-distance cruiser:
1 Less of a sloping roofline so you can fit people in the backseats who are 6ft4 without having to take them to a chiropractor afterwards to straighten their necks. Also lowering the backseat to the floor is not an option. Think Mercedes E Class.
2 Stick the 2.0 Turbo in the LS version. I don’t care much for the top end trims. Not worth the money.
3 Make it all wheel drive.
4 16in alloys are just fine. Comfier ride and I won’t end up buckling the wheels every 5 minutes with all the potholes in my area.
Some other stuff:
5 Make it slightly longer, both the wheelbase and overall length.
6 Some more sound deadening material would be nice.
7 Offer automatic emergency braking on even the lower trim levels.
Sadly I think sedans are dead. So it will remain just wishful thinking.
This car doesn’t hold a candle to my 1967 Malibu with a M21 4-speed, 53 years old and highly desirable. This new design is bland as it gets. 50 years from now, this car will be as popular as the Celebrity or Citation of the 1980s. The last decent looking GM cars were the 1980s G-body, although they were already on the downslope of design. By the year 2000 and beyond, without a label, it is nearly impossible to distinguish GM, Ford, Toyota, etc. How uninteresting and yawn-inducing this new Malibu.
We really like our Buick regal Sport Back GS! I Have had a hell of a lot of new GM cars in my life. If they build something like this I will stay with GM or I will be looking at a non-GM car in three years! I DO NOT WANT A TRUCK OR SUV!!
Hey Barry, we think similarly, I have had 15 new GM cars and will not feel right buying something else. Right now I have a 13 Buick Regal, which I like and an 18 Chev Equinox, which I’m very lukewarm on. I have been interested in a new Malibu but the way GM is offering it makes it less desirable. For instance I would want the 2.0L but the only way you can get is to buy the Premier which is almost 5000 more than the LT which is a decently equipped car as is. But on that rendering of a new Malibu, forget it. Why people have trouble designing new cars without copying other current Jap junk is beyondme. That car is ugly from the front wheels forward.
So then what would you like see? Let me know but keep in mind design has to move forward not backward. Give me a front end of a car you like. I can only design off of something I like. I cannot read the mind of others believe it or not.
well that looks terrible.
Brandon, Reading the minds of others has no place in design, it is supposed to come from within. Your comment ” I can only design off of something I like” indicates you are really into copying, not designing. The front part of your car is the same as many cars on the road today and is simply ugly. Even a front end similar to the last Impala would look a 100 times better than your rendering, or something similar to some of the last few years of various Cadillacs. Look at BMW’s, they usually get the front end of their cars right. Of course BMW doesn’t cut pennies like GM.
My wife had a 2003 model and it was the biggest piece of garbage. I would love to try this one it has a nice line and although I don’t care so much for the full grille it seems enjoyable.
Chevy Citation remake… GM has nobody paying attention to the sedan market….they should just sell the name to someone that knows what to do with it.
I would love for someone to answer this question…..SENSIBLY.
As the owner of two Cadillac CT6 automobiles, a CTS-V, and two Corvettes., And someone who does NOT buy trucks, that includes SUV’s, or foreign product, and not interested in PHEV, …….and here is the question…
Aside from my upcoming Corvette C8 ZO6 in 2022, where do I go for my next large luxury automobile (think CT6 size) ???
if your looking for reliability and resale lexus or else find a deal on a lightly used BMW they depreciate like a rock
budlar, Why do you suppose BMW’s depreciate so badly, if they actually do? Is it because service costs are outlandish when the car does develop issues, which all cars do sooner or later? I am thinking of a used BMW since GM is abandoning the car business which is unbelievably stupid. The car makers in Japan, Korea and Germany are probably still dancing in the streets since they heard that.
Looks like a slightly modified / re-badged CT4.
In Canada, FCA has settled their contract and are poring Millions into their three assembly plants in Windsor Ontario, and the two plants that build the Charger, Challenger, and the 300.
As a long time subscriber, recently when I add a thumbs up, or down, the counts revert to zero. What’s happening?
Thank you.
Me too. This site is always a little wonky.
LOL. Looks like they even gave it that horrible giant piece of plastic at the back of the side windows, just like Cadillac CT5. Just forward of the C pillar. What a ghastly design mistake that was for a Caddy, but the reality is GM would probably cheap out and not use glass here either.
Am I being told this dark black grill looks good? Come on. It looks horrible.
It must be easy and cheap to use that type of grill because it is used on quite a few vehicles now, and it looks like crap on all of them.
Not crazy about this rendering but without the camaro around to attract performance buyers, it may open the door to a chevelle package.