Fast-tracked 2014 Chevrolet Malibu revealed

By John LeBlanc Similar to the “emergency refresh” the Honda Civic went through for 2013 only one model year after an all-new version was launched, the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu is receiving significant design, equipment and powertrain changes one year after an all-new version was debuted for 2013. A strong sign how competitive the new car market is, parent General Motors executives admit the changes wrought upon the 2014 Malibu mid-size sedan would normally only appear after an all-new model had been on-sale three to four years. But tough competition from the likes of the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima and Ford Fusion have forced GM to refresh its Malibu in an unusually short period of time. "The mid-sized sedan segment is the most contested in the industry," General Motors North America President Mark Reuss said at the 2014 malibu reveal. "We're not sitting still with the 2014 Malibu." As such, the 2014 Malibu offers more rear seat room, better fuel-economy on the base four-cylinder engine models and revised exterior and interior design. Chevrolet found almost 32 more millimetres of rear legroom without stretching the car’s wheelbase. A redesigned centre console includes a pair of cupholders and storage for a pair of cell phones. Outside, the 2014 Malibu’s front-end has been redesigned to look more like the all-new 2014 Chevolet Impala sedan. Also from the Impala, Chevy says the new Malibu gets a revised front suspension for a “more refined" ride. With fuel-economy high on the list of family sedan buyers’ priorities, Chevy has also improved the Malibu’s high-volume 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine’s city fuel economy estimates by 5 per cent by adding an engine start/stop system as standard kit GM’s Reuss admitted executives were not confident when the latest-generation of the Malibu was launched for 2013. "We were not aggressive enough styling-wise," he said, adding much of the sedan’s work had been completed before GM's mid-2009 bankruptcy. Reuss also said the amount of effort to improve the Malibu for 2014 is "evidence of the new [GM]. “We're not going to sit around and wait for validation in the marketplace. We're going to go right at it. Do you think Chevrolet has done enough with the new 2014 Malibu to make it more competitive? Or has the nameplate been tarnished too much to get buyers not to buy its currently more popular rivals? Source: General Motors, Automotive News  

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