Shanghai 2015: Chevrolet Malibu facelift for China

The reworked Chevrolet Malibu has been revealed at Auto Shanghai 2015 – designed and engineered specially for the Chinese market, it differs from the US-market facelift of the current eighth-generation model, which has since been replaced by an all-new car.

We’ve seen this car before, as pictures of the China-only D-segment sedan have been leaked earlier this year. At the front is an updated front fascia with a narrower upper grille, “eagle eye” headlights, a large lower grille and reshaped fog light surrounds, plus sharper lines on the bonnet.

The leaked photos also show more integrated “dual element” tail lights – they are said to harken back to the original Malibu – while the bumper has been subtly reshaped, hiding the previously-visible dual tailpipes.

Chevrolet says this facelifted Malibu is longer than before, although we are not sure if the added length is as a result of a longer wheelbase (manufacturers routinely offer China-only stretched variants of their cars to cater to local preferences), or simply a consequence of the new bumpers.

The engines offered – a 2.4 litre (2,457 cc) Ecotec SIDI (Spark Ignition Direct Injection) four-pot and a 2.0 litre DVVT mill – remain the same as before, but instead of the current Chinese-market five-speed automatic transmission, they are now mated to a six-speed unit, similar to our market.

So tell us, which facelift would you prefer to see arrive on our roads – the US-market face or this Chinese-market one?

China-only Chevrolet Malibu facelift leaked photos

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