Video: Malibu Turbo teased

Chevrolet has released a teaser video of its new force-fed Malibu LTZ Turbo, which will hit US showrooms around September and may also eventually top the all-new mid-size sedan range in Australia.

Holden is yet to confirm whether it will release a turbocharged version of the standard Malibu, which goes on sale here in the second quarter of next year, and nor has it revealed which petrol engine the Malibu will be launched here with in less than six months.

However, a new 147kW/259Nm 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine is tipped to power the Australian version, first official images of which were released by Holden a week ago as the first engineering cars arrived Down Under for local suspension and transmission testing.

Chevrolet says its new Ecotec 2.5L engine will give the US Malibu 14kW and 28Nm more performance that the US Camry LE 2.5.

The front-wheel drive Malibu’s global engine options list also includes 104kW/184Nm 2.0-litre and 125kW/226Nm 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engines, while an electric motor-assisted hybrid version will also be sold in the US.

Chevrolet’s 2013 Malibu LTZ Turbo, meantime, is powered by a 2.0-litre turbo-four petrol engine that develops 193kW and 353Nm of torque (the latter between 1700 and 5500rpm), accelerating the all-new four-door to 100km/h in a claimed 6.3 seconds.

In North America, the LTZ Turbo will be priced from $US26,950 - $US4560 more than the entry-level 2.5-litre Malibu LS ($US$22,390).

The 30-second film clip of the Malibu Turbo shows a professional driver punting the car around a closed circuit. While the force-fed four-door appears to be virtually identical to other Malibu variants, sadly GM has also drowned out the sound of the new engine with background music.

The successor for Holden’s unloved Epica and the Lion brand’s first realistic rival for Toyota’s all-conquering Camry will be sold in more than 100 markets around the world. It will be built in several locations, with Australia’s version to come from South Korea.

Based on GM’s global mid-size Epsilon II platform, which also underpins the Opel Insignia that goes on sale from $38,490, the Malibu is just 38mm shorter than the Commodore at 4859mm overall, eclipsing its direct mid-size sedan rivals including the Camry, Mazda6 and Honda Accord.

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