2012 Holden Malibu on sale in Australia late next year

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By Tim Beissmann | April 19th, 2011

The all-new 2012 Holden Malibu mid-sized sedan has been previewed in the form of the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu at both the 2011 New York International Auto Show and Auto Shanghai 2011.

Holden executive director of sales, marketing and aftersales, John Elsworth, today confirmed the Holden Malibu would go on sale in Australia “late next year”, filling the gap between the locally manufactured Cruze and Commodore.

General Motors says the Malibu will be powered by a range of “fuel efficient and powerful” four-cylinder engines.

Among those will be a brand new 2.5-litre direct injection petrol unit with 141kW of power and 245Nm of torque. The engine will be mated to a six-speed automatic transmission that has been tuned to enhance powertrain efficiency.

GM engineers say they benchmarked the Malibu’s ride and handling against more expensive sports cars in their attempt to make it smooth, precise and dynamic on country roads and freeways all around the world.

It will feature MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension, as well as ventilated front disc brakes with dual piston aluminium calipers, which GM says should make it the segment leader in stopping distance.

Chassis control safety technology includes ABS, traction control, ESC, EBD, brake assist, corner brake control, hydraulic brake fade assist and drag torque control.

Other standard safety features in North America will include dual front, side, knee and roof rail airbags with rollover protection. Optional features include second-row side airbags (taking the maximum number to 10), lane departure warning with forward collision alert and a rear-view camera.

US customers will have four interior colours to choose from, while the insert materials on the centre console, doors and steering wheel can also be personalised in either chrome, metal or wood. Soft-touch surfaces and ice blue ambient lighting promise to create a high quality cabin feel.

The seven-inch colour touchscreen will incorporate Bluetooth wireless audio streaming as well as a range of other functions controlled by the MyLink infotainment system. Behind the screen is a 15cm bin to store phones and other wireless devices.

The new Malibu has a wider stance than the outgoing model, sporting broader shoulders and a shorter wheelbase for a significantly more aggressive appearance. LED taillights and alloy wheels ranging from 17 to 19 inches add to the Camaro-inspired exterior package.

Production of the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu will begin early next year. More details of the 2012 Holden Malibu will be revealed closer to the vehicle’s launch.

Valet Dabess

it looks like a posh version of the cruze
Shak

Its all adding up to be another success for Holden, judging by the facts presented. Sales in this class show, driving fortitude means nothing, its almost all about kit, value, and good looks.
P.S, the only really naff looking thing about this car is the woodgrain. If they can make the metal-look trim standard, it would be near perfect.

Henry F

The article states that the interior trim can be personalised with chrome, metal or wood. Cheers.

Rodders

hmmmm …Look closely on top of the Transmission shifter + & – toggle gearchange switch, ala new Focus..
(please stick with Normal Tiptronic shifter guys!)
But i do like the Camaro-esque tailights
Justin

But the time we get it though it will b a year and a half old n dated…??? But does look mighty nice
Shak

Is anyone else having problems with the Anti-spam word. The audio is correct, but the display is wrong or different most times. CA, any help?

Richo

Yes, it’s been driving me nuts the last couple of days. CA – get it fixed.
Doctor

Yeah me too. CA must be using Microsux Windoze….
Lazybones

Yup

Doctor

But will it be sold here as a Malibu or a Manly?

bangel

No it will be the MALABORE to co-exist with the CRUDE , CRAPTIVE and the CRUMMERDORE .

Tony M

Looks like a “Bitsa” car. It seems to be made up of several GM products. It doesn’t stand out as something new.
bangel

Front and side look good , back so american ugly reminds me of the sebring .
LSD

This will be the Commodore replacement………..oh my god!!!
Ox

Like the pseudo camaro rear and nice interior. Front looks less exciting hope Holden changes the front grille. Will be interesting to see if it will cannibalise commadore sales.
Richo

It may or may not be class leading in terms of refinement, handling, power, economy etc, but for any Holden to be successfull, all it really needs is to look good and be priced well, and it will always be at or near the top of class in terms of sales. This car should easily be able to acheive that
Richo

Personally I think it looks great, a bit bold and distinctive, without being offensive. The interior is a bit different with those vent like things that run the full length of the dash, and the squad tacho and speedo pods, but I kinda like it
Homer

The gap between the Cruze and Commodore is pretty small. Is there really a viable market for all 3 models? Surely this thing will only steal sales from its sister cars.

Sumpguard

Holden don\’t need to worry about it stealing sales from the other two models. Toyota on the other hand need to do something about the bland camry before this lands here. That is where it will steal sales from just as Cruze is stealing then from the corolla segment despite being larger.

I doubt it will arrive here with that aweful brown dash color either which is typical of American cars. Thankfully. I think Holden have another winner.

Homer

Probably got a lot more to do with price point than size. Appreciate your comment re Camry but heaps of people keep on buying them & the equally bland Corolla. Sure they are reliable but no more so than Mazda which IMO make far better cars for the same money.

rentakeyboard

Holden will sell this for the same reason Ford sell Mondeo alongside Falcon, and Toyota want us to be beleive that Camry and Aurion arent the samne car!

Matt J

Nothing radical (rear lights look very cool!) but it looks like it should be a solid seller in the segment.

Holden will be relieved to have both a quality and (most likely) well priced product in this segment after so many years of the yesteryear Epica and pricey Vectra. Any chance of a wagon?

Shak

Although we haven’t heard any rumours yet, and haven’t seen any pics of a potential wagon, its is pretty certain considering this car is going to be sold everywhere. if they want to take big sales in Europe, you can be assured they are already engineering the wagon, or it is top priority at the moment.

Joker

They may be onto a winner but it’s a competitive market.
They will need to contend with the Mondeo which I know for a fact has more kit and a bigger range of engines. Malibu appears to have No Diesel…No Small block Turbo model…
I’m guessing Holden will import the Malibu in two or three configurations…keep the faux woodgrain out of it
Looks are strange… would have been best to keep it closer to the Opel version IMO.

Richo

I’m not sure how you can know “for a fact” that the mondeo has more kit when the Malibu hasn’t even been launched yet in the US, let alone in Australia… I doubht even Holden know yet what the exact model mix/specification they are going to offer yet.

As for engines, only one is confirmed so far in the new 2.5 4cyl but given this car is intended to compete in europe, there is no way GM would be silly enough to launch a mid sizer in that market without a diesel. So we’ll just have to wait and see, but bare in mind that both Camry, Mazda 6 and Honda Accord Euro all survived in Australia for a long time with just one petrol 4cyl, its only relatively recently that Mazda added a diesel and Toyota added the hybrid system.

WOW

Nice if it comes with a diesel motor I won’t be buying that version. Dirty,noisy and 18 cents a litre dearer than petrol where I live. Don’t tell me “modern” diesels are quiet, I have driven VW,Merc,Audi and BMW diesels and they are only fit for tractors,trucks and buses.

Nobody

I love this car..Im not sure if the design is tweaked for Oz market but the car looks freaking good than the one being offered in the states. I hope we get a good turbo charged engine.

Americas envy Aussie pride..hahaha
filippo

I wonder if the person who designed the front and the person who designed the back have ever actually met…
Joker

Richo, the Malibu has some impressive features but it looks to miss out on Parking Sensors, Blind Spot Warning system and variable cruise control.. all of which are available in the Mondeo. Reversing Camera is great & 10 Airbags is class leading- safety is obviously the biggest deal of the lot (As it should be )
Mind you- they’re all options so It will be interesting to see which ones Holden choose to kit out the imports with.. Not to mention…where will they be made?? Korea?
They do say “a range of fuel efficient 4 cyl. engines”… lets see what they mean

Richo

Word is that Holden will source their Malibu’s from either the US or Canada.

So Holden’s three biggest models will be made in either Australia or North America, not that bad a deal really, it will only be the Barina and Captiva that will come in from Kora (but to be fair, out of a state of the art plant) and the next Colorado probably out of South America

http://Caradvice Onepoppa

This is a car gunning for world wide sales – It could be big in Latin America and other places where a diesel is not important. The really odd thing is that it will compete in the US against the Mazda 6 which is produced there with a 6 cylinder engine. But in Europe without a diesel it vcould only be a niche player. However look at the Chev Orlando and Cruze with diesels in Europe. If there is enough Vectra left underneath it maybe it will take the 2.2 diesel from the Vectra.
Paul

The latest GM (US) products are remarkably well made, (see latest 2011 JD Power Assoc results has Cadillac up there with the best especially since GM had to reformat itself). I would certainly consider one of the new GM products from the US, anyway I got a soft spot for the Malibu, I had one in the late 90′s, it gave great fuel consumption and reliability from its 3.1 litre V6 and had only one re-occuring problem, the disc brakes would easily warp, which was a common issue with a lot of makes as they moved away from asbestos pads. I put nearly 200000 kilometres on it in Canada in a variety of terrain and temperatures and it never missed a beat. GM cars in Canada have a perceived reputation for reliabiliity and longevity, sadly our local Holdens don’t seem to keep that factor as a priority, I had a Commodore of the same vintage and it was a peice of poop. I’d buy a Malibu if it were a real US made Malibu, what a hot looking peice of gear, I hope it keeps is Chevy badge.
Golfschwein

This runs the risk of being the best looking car in the Holden showroom, by far.

I’m not so sure that the plastic wood even wants to be known as plastic wood. Is it a play on the tortoise shell finish that I love from afar in the Chrysler 300C?
m2m

Ummm, i think it looks sensational! It’d cannabalise a few Commodore sales no doubt! Watch Aussie buyers flock to it!
Sandy

Looks like Holden has a winner with this.. But, wow… Good luck to them in flogging the tired looking epica for another year and a bit…
Steve-Poyza

‘Holden Malibu would go on sale in Australia “late next year”…’

Epic fail.

We’ll be over it by the time it gets here. It really gets to me how Australia is slow to get everything.

Also, woodgrain is disgustingly-executed.
Ford

This car will sell well.

What Holden are great at is selling cars which have great looking sheet metal but underneath that are totally woeful. Australian consumers are too stupid to look beyond the sheet metal. The fact cars like the Captiva and Cruze are selling well is a great example of this. Their owners will regret those purchaes in a few years time.

Richo

So you’ve already driven the Malibu then champ? Already know what its like to drive? That’d be a clever trick given it hasn’t been launched anywhere around the world yet…
TGB

You’re a freaking idiot. It’s an Insignia under the skin.

Chris

Holden need to bring it here sooner. Australia has one of the most competitive new car markets in the world, yet we have to wait about 18 months. C’mon, the Malibu could run rings around the Camry. Why such a delay?
erneztp

Somehow I think the cruze interior looks better.
LPG

You missed my point.

They will sell even if they handle like a barge because they have a Holden badge and good sheet metal. Australia buyers are stupid.

Henry F

Umm, who are you responding to? I see no other post from a “LPG”.
bangel

So true LPG bogans dream car

Ford

Holden will offer them in a wide range of ugly bright colours and throw some commercials on TV about how Australian they are and they will sell like hotcakes.

Captain Nemo

Henry F

LPG is one of those trolls with several user names he simply forgot to change back

Henry F

I’d agree with you Captain Nemo. If that’s the case, it’s a pretty sad post from someone obviously with too much time on their hands.

Tim

MY14 commodore will have extremely similar rear lights, you heard it here first
Rick

This is an awesome replacement for holden’s outdated boring low volume epica,i’m very much looking forward to the release.
Ford Man

Very American looking front end. But at least its not a Daewoo like the majority of their line up.
http://www.motorcycleracegear.com.au RS Taichi

After the hail last year in Melbourne, i need a new car and this looks pretty sweet.
Rob

I like this car, I hope they offer it with that interior here in Australia. I know some people may not like the interior color combination and the presence of wood, but it’s pretty different from what is offered in other cars here, and that combination really works…
WOW

I hope GMH doesn’t fiddle with the suspension too much and make it ride like all thier other billy-carts,Caprice included. Looks good to me in the pics.
scamma

Saw a left hand drive one (white)on the road yesterday morning albeit briefly. Badges covered as were parts of the rear of it. Didn’t get a great look though unfortunately as was driving.
bmmau

Well it’s a shame that what’s presented is so American; are we so much like the US or more Euro? Have a look at the Vauxhall Insignia ? That is the same vehicle , produced originally by GM Shangai and then introduced into the UK by Opel , with it later manufactured and developed by GM Vauxhall for the UK market. It is a gorgeous car, elegant with heaps of style, performance that does not scream chunky machismo…
Brett

I wish GM would follow Fords’ international policy of one name worldwide. Get rid of Holden in Australia on imported cars and badge them Chevrolet as is their real brand.

TGB

Your premise is flawed. Ford US rebadges its pwn cars under the Mercury nameplate, selling both in the same country.

F1MotoGP

This is not Holden very American looking inside and outside too. Holden lost all Australian feel for this car!!!
Robert

Hopefully we can soon buy Vauxhall or Opel Insignias & Astras from dedicated GM Europe sub-dealerships, but the Malibu looks a better package than the Daewoo Epica. Let’s hope the bride & handling are raised to Australian from the US standard.

Robert

I meant ride & handling.

Chocky

Hmmm certainly not very pretty. You could almost say ugly. The Insignia/Buick Regal looks much better.
the major

hullow malibu goodbye commodore
larry lions

just another tarted up epica ho hum,its as ugly as sin and that awfull interior,you have to be kidding,nah,not for me,those vivas and barinas from the same stable are in the same unwanted prize catagory,yet the cruze,series2 is a very good package,and check out the pic of the cruze wagon(chevrolet cruze wagon) its a work of art,this is the one that will sell in large numbers,and thats the type of car that is going to be in demand by the fleet and private markets.