Chevy Malibu Strong Hybrid Coming Next Year - Ward's Auto (subscription)
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... 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... “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. engine mates to a drive unit slightly modified from the ?16 Chevrolet Volt drive unit and assists the engine during acceleration, providing 182 hp of total system power. Source: wardsauto.com
