WARREN, MI – When the redesigned ’16 Chevrolet Malibu bows at the New York auto show next week, the longtime General Motors model for the first time will offer a bonafide strong-hybrid variant promising a combined fuel economy rating greater than 45 mpg (5.2 L/100 km).
The previous Malibu hybrid, the Malibu Eco, relied on a battery for driver assist, but it was a belt-driven unit that delivered a relatively skimpy 25 mpg (9.4 L/100 km) in the combined cycle. It was discarded following the ’14 model year after GM added to the Malibu powertrain lineup a much simpler micro-hybrid employing stop-start to match Eco’s 25 mpg.
Sales of the Malibu Eco, which bowed in 2012 and more than six months ahead of the other available powertrains, were unsurprisingly poor. Last year, the Eco accounted for 1,018 sales, or 0.01% of the Malibu’s 188,519 total volume, according to WardsAuto data.
The new Malibu Hybrid’s lofty fuel-economy ratings come courtesy of a number of technologies from the Chevy Volt, also redesigned for ’16 and due later this year, most notably a version of the breakthrough 2-motor drive unit in the second-generation extended-range electric vehicle.
The Volt’s redesigned drive motor is 12% more efficient and dropped 100 lbs. (45 kg) from the first-generation unit. At its unveiling at the North American International Auto Show earlier this year, GM boasted of its ability to provide “instant torque” for a highly satisfying driving experience. The motor also uses fewer magnets, too, reducing the car’s consumption of expensive rare-earth materials.
“The 2016 Malibu Hybrid will offer impressive fuel economy, exceptional driving characteristics and gorgeous styling,” Jesse Ortega, chief engineer-Chevy Malibu, says at an event here to detail the full Malibu lineup.
An all-new direct-injection 1.8L 4-cyl. engine mates to a drive unit slightly modified from the ʼ16 Chevrolet Volt drive unit and assists the engine during acceleration, providing 182 hp of total system power.
The first Chevrolet application of Exhaust Gas Heat Recovery technology also bows on the Malibu Hybrid. EGHR uses exhaust heat to warm the engine and cabin, and promises consistent fuel economy performance in cold weather. The use of Exhaust Gas Recirculation provides additional efficiency benefits by routing some exhaust gas back to the engine to trim carbon-dioxide emissions.
The hybrid system draws power from an 80-cell, 1.5-kWh lithium-ion battery pack. GM says the trunk-mounted pack can propel the Malibu Hybrid to speeds of 55 mpg (89 km/h) on electric power alone. The gasoline engine engages at higher speeds and when additional power is needed.
The Malibu Hybrid also shares power electronics and a blended regenerative braking system that recovers energy to maintain the battery’s charge.
The Malibu Hybrid is due at U.S. dealers from GM’s Fairfax, KS, assembly plant in spring 2016.
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