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Apr-23-20082008 Chevy Malibu at a glance(topic overview)
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For 1 mpg less than the Malibu LTZ, the Accord offers 177 horsepower and an interior that qualified it for the EPAs large-car category. He said he cannot discuss Hondas plans, but "weve met all of our targets with the five-speed automatic transmission." Bruce Belzowski, assistant research scientist with the University of Michigans Transportation Research Institute, said the six-speed transmissions are part of automakers strategy to make the internal combustion engine as efficient as possible while they develop alternative power sources. "Right now the strategy is try to eke out as much as you can out of the internal combustion engine before you have to go into more exotic powertrains. whatever flavor of hybrid you want to talk about," he said. He said its impressive that GM can get 32 miles per gallon out of a midsize car, and its a sign that automakers are working to comply with new federal fuel economy mandates. [1] RIVALS: Toyota Camry, sales of which dropped 4.2 percent in March 2008 to 40,487; and Honda Accord, which dropped 0.8 percent in March 2008 to 36,214. WHAT'S NEW: Malibu just unveiled a six-speed automatic transmission mated with a four-cylinder engine for its high-end LTZ. Its estimated highway fuel economy is 32 miles per gallon, up from 30 mpg on the existing four-cylinder Malibu with a four-speed transmission.[2]
In the Malibu, the engine's teamed with a six-speed automatic transmission that works with it to endow the big family four-door with a 22/32 mpg fuel economy rating.[3]
Ford has no four-cylinder models with six-speed transmissions, but it plans to introduce the new powertrain in the 2009 Ford Escape in August, spokesman Jim Cain said. It would boost fuel economy in the small sport utility vehicle by 1 mpg to 27 on the highway, he said. Ford has had six-speeds for several years in models such as the Edge crossover and Fusion V-6 sedan, and it expects wider use of the transmissions.[1] The exact combination in question is GM's 169-horsepower, 2.4 liter four-cylinder Ecotec unit mated to the automaker's Hydra-matic 6T40 transmission, which reportedly helps the vehicle to achieve an EPA-estimated 22 mpg city, 32 mpg highway fuel economy.[4]
The LTZs fuel economy, as estimated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is 32 miles per gallon on the highway up from 30 mpg on the existing four-cylinder Malibu with a four-speed transmission.[1]
General Motors is adding a four-cylinder engine as an option to its top Chevy Malibu model and is touting the combination's fuel economy.[5]
According to Chevrolet general manager Ed Peper, the new model was built in response to "customers' calls for a premum-equipped car with an efficient, four-cylinder engine."[4]
The newly dubbed Chevrolet Malibu LTZ will get the 169-horsepower, 2.4-liter version of GM's Ecotec four-cylinder engine.[3] GM is adding a new option to its strong-selling 2008 Chevrolet Malibu with the announcement of a four-cylinder, six-speed automatic transmission combination for its Malibu LTZ trim level.[4] The Malibu LTZ now can be equipped with a 2.4-liter Ecotec rated at 169 hp, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. GM says this powertrain combination gets 22 mpg in city driving and 32 on the highway--which nearly equals the 24 mpg city/32 mpg highway rating of the Malibu hybrid.[5]
Until now the Malibu LTZ was available with only a 3.6-liter V6, rated at 252 hp, mated to the six-speed automatic. GM says it's adding the four-cylinder option to allow consumers to buy a loaded Malibu with a smaller engine.[5]
The Malibu LTZ with the four-cylinder engine carries a base price of $26,245, including shipping charges.[5] The six-speed, four-cylinder Malibu LTZ is currently on sale nationwide with pricing starting at $26,545.[4]
The new powertrain debuts immediately in the high-end Malibu LTZ and next year in two lower-priced Malibu models.[1]
The equivalent four-cylinder Toyota Camry and Honda Accord models offer 31 mpg.[1] Like the Nissan Altima and Honda Accord and Toyota Camry and Ford Fusionandwell, like a bunch of other family sedans, the big new Chevrolet Malibu is getting a four-cylinder option.[3]
Six-speed automatic transmissions will spread to more cars and trucks as automakers work to make vehicles more efficient, said Kevin Riddell, powertrain forecasting manager for J.D. Power and Associates. Other manufacturers, including Ford Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp. and Chrysler LLC, already have six-speeds in place, while others use more-expensive continuously variable transmissions that dont shift like conventional gearboxes, Riddell said. Mercedes-Benz even offers seven speeds, he said. Six-speeds can keep an engine revving at its peak efficiency better than four- and five-speed transmissions, Riddell said. Manual transmissions, he said, still are more efficient, although six-speed technology brings automatics closer.[1] "Were the only guys in the segment with a six-speed transmission," Dave Whittaker, Chevrolets vehicle line executive, said Tuesday at a media briefing. He added that with record high oil prices, "all consumers are very sensitive to fuel economy."[1] A new energy law requires new cars and trucks, taken as a collective average, to meet 35 mpg by 2020. A 1-mpg difference between competitors may not sway buyers toward Chevrolet, but its an example of how automakers are getting competitive on fuel economy, Belzowski said. "One mile per gallon, its not insignificant, but to say were the leader kind of implies that youre so far ahead of everybody else. Its a marketing gimmick that only takes you so far," he said.[1]
Honda Motor Co. spokesman Edward Miller said the Accord offers the best combination of horsepower, interior space and fuel economy with either the four- or six-cylinder.[1] "You see a tremendous benefit in terms of overall drivability and highway fuel economy," Cain said.[1]
On the same day as GMs Malibu announcement, the Bush administration revealed proposed rules that would require new cars and trucks to meet a fleet average of 31.6 mpg by 2015, a schedule more aggressive than initially expected by the auto industry. [1] GM said the efficiency boost of the six-speed also offers a quieter ride, slight acceleration improvement and smoother shifting because the revolutions-per-minute drop is not as great.[1]
SOURCES
1. New powertrain for Chevy Malibu offers fuel economy edge - International Herald Tribune
2. 2008 Chevy Malibu at a glance
3. TCC Blog » Blog Archive » Chevrolet Malibu Adds a Four-Cylinder
4. Chevy Malibu gets four-cylinder, six-speed auto model | Automotive News Blog - Wide Open Throttle
5. Chevy Malibu LTZ gains four-cylinder-engine option - AutoWeek Magazine
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