Chevy revives Malibu hybrid with 2016 redesign

DETROIT -- Chevrolet will offer a hybrid version of the next-generation Malibu sedan that will exceed 45 mpg in combined highway and city driving, marking General Motors' first full-hybrid passenger car after finding little success in recent years with light electrification.

The Malibu hybrid will use a new, 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine connected to a two-motor drive unit that is a close kin to the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid.

GM says the Malibu hybrid will get more than 45 mpg in combined highway and city driving, better than the base hybrid versions of the 2015 Ford Fusion (42 mpg combined), 2015 Toyota Camry (41 combined mpg) and 2016 Hyundai Sonata (41 mpg combined).

Chevy will introduce the 2016 Malibu next week at the New York auto show, where it will provide more details about the rest of the car's powertrain lineup.

Nonhybrid Malibu models are scheduled to arrive in showrooms in the fourth quarter. The hybrid will roll out in spring 2016, GM said.

With a hybrid version of one of its highest-volume nameplates, Chevrolet will show the breadth of its electrification technologies. The second-generation Volt -- now the top-selling plug-in hybrid in the U.S. -- is also due out by year end.

In 2017, Chevy plans to launch the Bolt electric vehicle with an estimated range of 200 miles.

GM launched the current-generation Malibu with a new electrified powertrain: eAssist, a mild hybrid system that returned a combined rating of 29 mpg. But sales were disappointing, and the model was phased out for the 2014 model year in favor of a re-engineered version that uses a stop-start system but no extra lithium ion battery.

GM still offers eAssist on the Buick Regal and LaCrosse sedans.

Chevy hopes the redesigned Malibu and the addition of a hybrid option will reverse the nameplate's sliding U.S. sales. It sold 188,519 Malibus in 2014, down 6 percent from a year earlier.

The '16 Malibu's hybrid system will be fueled by an 80-cell, 1.5 kilowatt-hour battery pack that can power the car on its own up to 55 mph. The 1.8-liter engine will kick on automatically at higher speeds and under more demanding driving conditions, for a total of 182 hp.

Fuel efficiency also is improved by Chevy's first use of Exhaust Gas Heat Recovery, which uses exhaust heat to warm the engine and cabin, improving fuel economy in cold weather.

Malibu chief engineer Jesse Ortega said in a statement that the car will have improved aerodynamics, active grille shutters, a reduced ride height and other features to improve fuel economy.

The Malibu hybrid will be built at GM's Fairfax assembly plant in Kansas City, Kan., the company’s main Malibu plant.