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NEWS
Holden to launch superseded Malibu
GM presents facelifted Malibu in the US, but Holden's new mid-size sedan won't bring any of its upgradesGM Holden will launch the Malibu in Australia next week, but the all-new mid-size sedan won’t come with any of the upgrades seen in a facelifted model just revealed in North America.
The Malibu is Holden’s latest assault on Australia’s hotly contested medium sedan segment following the unloved Epica, which failed spectacularly to make an impact against the likes of Toyota’s locally assembled Camry and the Mazda6.
Like the Epica, the Malibu will be imported from Korea, but instead of six-cylinder petrol power it will be available with 123kW 2.4-litre petrol and 117kW 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engines.
Both engines will be available in two equipments grades – CD and CDX – and matched as standard with a six-speed automatic transmission.
All Malibu models will come standard with twin front, side and curtain airbags, electronic stability/traction control, anti-skid brakes, power driver’s seat adjustment, climate-control, power windows/mirrors and remote central locking.
Premium CDX models will add a range of extras, including 18-inch alloy wheels with 245/45-section tyres (instead of the CD’s 17s with 225/55 tyres), as well as foglights, a powered passenger seat and the option of a sunroof.
Holden says its Malibu, which has already been revealed, will also come with unique Australian-developed suspension tune.
However, no Australian Malibu models will be fitted with a range of updates applied as part of an early facelift for the North American model, including more powerful 2.5-litre and turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engines.
Released just 18 months after the latest Malibu was launched in the US last year, North America’s fast-tracked 2014 Malibu will gain an idle-stop function that reduces the fuel consumption of its uprated 145kW/235Nm direct-injection 2.5-litre petrol four by five per cent.
Also in response to lacklustre sales and critical media reviews is a 193kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four with 14 per cent more torque.
In addition, all US-market Malibus will come with a new grille, 32mm more rear legroom, a revised centre console with extra storage, revised suspension damping and extra driver safety aids in the form of blind-spot monitoring and a rear cross-traffic alert system similar to that fitted in some VF Commodore models.
In the US, where 10 airbags are standard and a reversing camera is optional, the Malibu is also available in an ‘Eco’ variant, powered by a 2.4-litre petrol four and GM's eAssist mild hybrid system.
“The mid-sized sedan segment is the most contested in the industry,” said GM North America President and former Holden chief Mark Reuss. “We're not sitting still with the 2014 Malibu.”
To April this year, US Malibu sales were down 12 per cent to 70,913, ranking GM’s mid-size sedan entry fifth behind the Camry (132,540), Honda Accord (121,965), Nissan Altima (108,943) and Ford Fusion/Mondeo (107,280).
Holden’s Malibu measures 4865mm long, 1855mm wide, 1465mm high and rides on a 2737mm wheelbase, making it only slightly smaller than the VF Commodore also introduced this month.
Expect pricing to start in line with its most direct sub-$30,000 mid-size sedan competitors, between the sub-$20,000 Cruze and the $34,990-plus VF Commodore sedan.
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Written byMarton Pettendy
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