.
Chevrolet Malibu
The Chevrolet Malibu (named for Malibu, California) is a mid-size car produced in the United States by General Motors. It is marketed in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Israel.
History
1964-1972
The first Malibu was the top-line Chevrolet Chevelle from 1964 to 1972. 1964 was the very first production year of the Malibu (known to enthusiasts as the Chevelle Malibu).
1973-1977
The Malibu was restyled for the 1973 model year. Models included the base Chevelle Deluxe, mid-range Malibu and the top-line Laguna.
For 1974, the Deluxe was dropped, and the Malibu became the entry-level Chevelle. The Laguna trim package was replaced with the Malibu Classic. The Laguna S-3 model was introduced to replace the SS, and continued through 1976.
1978-1983
For the 1978 model year, the Malibu name replaced the Chevelle name on all mid-sized Chevrolets except the Monte Carlo coupe. This was a downsized version compared to previous mid-sized Chevrolets.
Three bodystyles were produced (station wagon, sedan, and coupe); the 2-door coupe (reminiscent of the 1964 Chevelle hardtop) was last produced in 1981. In recent years, the coupe has been sought after by drag racers and usually spotted as street machines.
Chevrolet did seem to consider a performance variant of the Malibu. A Malibu sport coupe called the Black Sterling appeared on the 1978 auto show circuit with a sharp black-over-silver two-tone paint, a spoiler at the rear, what looks like 15-inch wheels and tires and, presumably, the 350 V-8 that would only come in Malibu station wagons and El Caminos. The Black Sterling obviously never made it to production and seems to have disappeared from most people's memories.
A very rare 1980 Malibu M80 was a dealer package for only North and South Carolina in an effort to revive the muscle car era. It was however mostly aimed at Nascar fans who regularly traveled to Darlington Raceway. To this day, its unknown how many are left or were actually produced. There was no factory Malibu SS option available from 1978-83. The SS only came in the El Camino.
The 4-door Malibu was also used in fleets, especially for law enforcement usage. Right after the Chevrolet Nova ceased production, the 9C1 police option was transitioned over to the Malibu, filling a void for mid-sized police vehicles.
GM Canada also produced a special order of Malibu sedans around 1981 for the Iraqi government, although the order was cancelled. These Malibus were auctioned off at a greatly reduced price.
Engines
The 1982 Malibu shared GM's redesignated rear wheel drive G platform with cars like the Pontiac Grand Prix and Oldsmobile Cutlass. 1982 was the final year that a Malibu Classic was marketed; Malibus were produced as 4-door sedans until 1983 when it was replaced by the front wheel drive Chevrolet Celebrity.
1997-2003
A new front-wheel drive Malibu was introduced in 1997 on an extended wheelbase version of the GM N platform with Pontiac Grand Am, Buick Skylark, Oldsmobile Achieva, and Oldsmobile Alero. All N-body Malibus were produced at the Oklahoma City Assembly plant (after 2003 it was retooled to build the GMT360 SUVs) and the Wilmington Assembly plant (after 1999), before moving production to Lansing, Michigan. The Wilmington plant was then retooled to build the Saturn L-Series in 1999. The Oldsmobile Cutlass was a clone of the Malibu as a stopgap vehicle before the Oldsmobile Alero. It replaced the Chevrolet Corsica. Power came from a 2.4 L 150 hp (112 kW) I4 or 3.1 L 155 hp (116 kW) V6. The Malibu was Motor Trend magazine's Car of the Year for 1997.
1997 to 1999 Malibus had a front grille with the Malibu logo in silver in the center; 2000 to 2003 models, including the Classic had the blue Chevrolet emblem on the front grille. 1997 to 1999 LS models were sometimes equipped with special gold-colored badges (the rear Malibu lettering and logo).
The 3.1 L V6 was updated in 2000 with 170 hp (127 kW) and the 4-cylinder was dropped.
Engines
2004-present
The Malibu name was moved to the new Epsilon platform for 2004, but the previous car remained in production as the Chevrolet Classic for car rental and fleet use, which was discontinued in 2006. The new Epsilon-based Malibu comes in two bodystyles, a standard 4-door sedan and a 4-door Malibu Maxx station wagon. This is Chevrolet's first station wagon since the discontinuation of the Chevrolet Caprice wagon in 1996. The Malibu Maxx competes with the Dodge Magnum and other station wagons.
Base power comes from a 2.2 L Ecotec L61 I4 which produces 145 hp (108 kW). LS and LT trims get a 3.5 L 200 hp (149 kW) High Value LX9 V6. A remote starter is also available, which was introduced on several other GM vehicles for 2004.
The Malibu is manufactured at GM's Fairfax #2 factory in Kansas City, Kansas.
Engines
SS
A special SS trim will be introduced on the Malibu and Malibu Maxx with the 3.9 L LZ9 V6.
2010-2011
The Malibu will be redesigned for either the 2010 or 2011 model year. It will be built on the long-wheelbase Epsilon platform shared with the Saturn Aura, Pontiac G6 and Malibu Maxx. Because the sedan is growing in size, the Maxx will be dropped. GM has been criticized for having repetitive models in its various brands, so the Epsilon lineup will be much more focused. The Malibu will be designed to be more American in terms of style and driving dynamics, the Aura will be designed to be more European, and the G6 is designed to be sporty and exciting.
External links
- The official website of the Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Maxx
- Maliburacing.com The 78-83 Malibu Performance Site
This page uses content from Wikipedia; see Chevrolet Malibu, which includes these contributors.
