New Malibu to be Offered in Australia as a Holden, will Sit Between the Cruze and the Commodore

Last week, GM released the first teaser photo of its upcoming Chevrolet Malibu ahead of its global debut on Monday, April 18. The next generation of the Malibu is the first Chevy mid-sized model designed for the global market and will be sold in up to 100 countries around the world including Australia where it will be launched under the Holden brand.

The Holden Malibu will arrive in Australia for the first time in 2012 with a range of four cylinder engines, effectively replacing the unpopular Epica, a badge-engineered version of the South Korean Daewoo Tosca, which itself had taken the place of the Vectra.

“The Malibu will play an important role within the Holden line-up, providing a spacious and efficient four-cylinder alternative for Australian customers,” said Holden Chairman and Managing Director Mike Devereux.

Read more »

Patent Designs of Chevrolet Sedan with Camaro-esque Read End: Is it the New Malibu, Impala or Something Else?

Fact: these official drawings of an unnamed Chevrolet sedan were filed with the U.S. patent office by General Motors. And well, that's where the facts end and the speculations start. Looking at the photos, we assume that this mystery Chevrolet four-door saloon with the Camaro-inspired rear-end design is either a mid- or full-size sedan.

And while we know for sure that General Motors is readying a redesign for its Camry-fighting Chevrolet Malibu, we're not at all certain that this is the car depicted here.

For all we know, it could be a replacement for the Impala or (less probably) maybe for the European market and Daewoo-based, Chevy Epica sedan.

Hit the jump to check out the rest of the drawings and tell us what you think in the comments section.

Read more »

2009 Holden Epica Sedan Gets Mild Facelift and New Diesel Engine

GM’s Aussie brand has unveiled the 2009 Epica Sedan which is also known as the Chevrolet Epica in Europe and as the Daewoo Tosca in Korea. Styling changes are subtle as they are reduced to a new front grille, rear fascia and alloy wheels. Holden also upgraded the Epica’s safety equipment which now includes ESP and six airbags as standard across the range. -Continued

The most important changes are under the hood as Holden eliminated the 2.0-liter V6 petrol engine and replaced it with a new 2.0-liter turbo diesel unit that produces 148 Hp (110 kW). The new diesel model that gets a 6T40 six-speed automatic transmission with Active Select as standard, achieves an average fuel consumption of 7.6lt /100km or 31mpg U.S. Finally, the 2.5-litre V6 petrol model is also upgraded to a six-speed automatic transmission.

MY09 Epica model line-up and pricing is as follows (RRP excludes Dealer delivery and government charges):

Epica CDX 2.5-litre petrol (6 speed auto) from $27,990

Epica CDX 2.0-litre diesel (6 speed auto) from $29,990

Epica CDXi 2.5-litre petrol (6 speed auto) from $30,990

Epica CDXi 2.0-litre diesel (6 speed auto) from $32,990

Epica CDXi Optional Leather Pack $2,000

Chevrolet Epica 2007

After the Korean preview of GM’s global mid sized sedan (Daewoo Tosca), Chevrolet Europe unveiled its version of the car which in terms of design, differs from the Tosca only in the front mask. Other minor changes include a revised setup of the suspension. As I noted in January, the US will probably get this car in the form of the 2007 Suzuki Verona

New Chevrolet Epica, World Premiere at the Geneva Motor Show:The new Chevrolet Epica is the company’s first mid-size model to be launched in Europe with two refined, transversally mounted in-line six cylinder engines. It will celebrate its world premiere at the Geneva motor show (March 2-12, 2006) and will be launched on the European market from June 2006. Epica will offer a comprehensive range of comfort and safety equipment as standard and exceptional value for money.

Dimensionally (length/width/height: 4,805/1,810/1,450 mm), this front-wheel drive mid-size saloon has grown significantly compared to its predecessor, the Evanda. It has a wheelbase of 2,700 mm. The most striking design features of the four-door Epica are its rising, wedge-shaped side contours with a character line that runs on the upper half of the door, the grab-type door handles, the chrome grille with a substantial cross strut carrying the bold Chevrolet bow-tie emblem, large wrap-around headlamps and equally striking rear lamps. Standard safety features of the new Epica are ABS, driver and passenger airbags, and side and head airbags.

Buyers will initially have a choice of two engine types: Extremely smooth straight-six gasoline units with a capacity of either 2.0 or 2.5 litres (142 and 155 hp) will be available at launch with a version of Chevrolet’s all-new family of common rail turbo diesel engines coming later. The six cylinder gasoline engine is probably the shortest six cylinder available in the world. This enables the whole power unit to be neatly packaged in a lightweight transverse configuration. Both engine types are available with a five-speed manual or a sophisticated new five-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission.

Technorati Tags: Chevrolet, Epica, Geneva, Motor, Show,

Chevrolet Epica - Suzuki Verona - Daewoo Tosca 2007

The Daewoo Tosca was officially presented in Korea and I updated the photo album with new pictures. The Koreanj mid size sedan will be sold in Europe as Chevrolet Epica while it is also rumored that it will come to the US a 2007 Suzuki Verona. Although Korean is definitely not one of my strong points, with the help of web-translators I managed to come up with the engine specifications. There are two inline 6cylinder engines available:

2.0 liter with 144 hp / 6.300 rpm & 19,2 kgm torque / 4.600 rpm

2.5 liter with 157 hp / 5.800 rpm & 24,0 kgm torque / 4.000 rpm

The European edition will be previewed in the Geneva Motor Show

Chevrolet Epica / Daewoo Tosca

The all new Chevrolet (for Europe) /Daewoo (for Korea & Asia) / Suzuki (for the US) medium sedan will be equipped with 2 6cylinder engines, 2.0 & 2.5 litres. In Europe it will also be offered with a diesel engine.