Surprisingly, the first country to get the new Malibu won’t be the States, but South Korea with production set to begin in Bupyeong, Korea this fall, followed by Jingjiao, China, at the end of 2011 and then Fairfax, Kansas and Detroit-Hamtramck, in the U.S., in early 2012.
“Adding Korea as a key sales market for the new Malibu further increases the brand’s global presence and continues our growth path while increasing our car offerings to consumers in Korea,” said Russ Clark, Chevrolet Product Director.
GM also said that there’s growing interest for the Malibu in Korea, despite the fact that the midsize sedan has never been officially sold in the country. The Detroit automaker said that members of Malibu-related Internet clubs total about 30,000 in South Korea, despite the fact that the midsize sedan has never been officially sold in the country. However, this shouldn’t come as a surprise for those with some knowledge of the local car culture as there are myriads of dedicated online clubs for all models.
The new Malibu received its world premiere at the New York and Shanghai auto shows last week. It will be sold in nearly 100 markets on six continents, with each region getting specific engine choices. Up until now, we know that North America will get a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with 190HP+ and a 2.4-liter ECO unit with the eAssist system delivering 180HP, while China will receive 2.0-liter and 2.4-liter naturally aspirated fours, and a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine.
In addition to the gasoline range, the European market version of the Malibu is expected to be offered with several diesel options as well.