SHANGHAI AUTO SHOW: Chevy's global Malibu debuts in China

General Motors is aiming its new Chevy Malibu at the tall poppy to top all poppies, the Toyota Camry.

GM's Chevrolet brand presented the Malibu to a global audience at the Shanghai motor show earlier today -- ahead of the car's roll-out to around 100 markets around the world. That in itself paints a picture of GM confronting the Camry in global markets everywhere.

In both length and width the Malibu is a larger car than the Camry, which has been a consistently strong seller in the US and dominates sales in the same market segment here. The Camry sits on a longer wheelbase, but that hints the Malibu will boast larger luggage volume than the Toyota's. Certainly the Malibu's rear-seat dimensions -- claimed by GM to be 936mm of rear-seat legroom and 955mm of headroom -- won't necessarily lead the class.

Malibu -- which is also a larger car than Holden's former medium-segment VFACTS contender, the Epica -- will reach Australia next year. According to Holden the Malibu for Australia will offer "a range of efficient 4-cylinder engines", but the Chev for the American market has already been announced with a 2.5-litre four-cylinder, producing peak power and torque figures of 141kW and 245Nm.

GM is claiming that the Malibu will raise the bar for interior fit and finish -- something at least as important in the US as in Australia. According to the press material released by Holden, the Malibu's "spacious, dual-cockpit interior", will comprise "premium materials, including soft-touch and textured surfaces and ice-blue ambient lighting along the centre stack dials, instrument panel and storage pockets".

"Malibu will represent another major step forward in the Holden product offensive when it arrives late next year, filling a gap in our model line-up between our leading Cruze and Commodore models," the press release quoted John Elsworth, Holden's Executive Director of Sales, Marketing and Aftersales.

"We think it will really hit the mark. From the Camaro-inspired exterior design and sleek interior to the dynamic performance capabilities, it is another great example of the sophistication we're building into our new-generation global vehicles.

"We'll offer high-performing fuel-efficient engines, a high level of safety and a range of features and technologies to appeal to customers in the competitive mid-size segment."

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