Making its way on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick for 2012 is the all-new Buick Verano. This raises General Motors IIHS Top Safety Pick award count to 14 in 2012 – not too shabby.

Equipped with 10 standard air bags, the Verano came out with a good score in the IIHS tests for front and side crash tests, roof strength test, and rear impact test. The Verano also features standard electronic stability control, which the IIHS requires for Top Safety Pick designation.

“GM set a goal that every new product would be designed to meet or exceed the third-party metrics that IIHS and others use to communicate crash worthiness to consumers,” said Gay Kent, GM executive director of Vehicle Safety. “We are now seeing the results from that commitment.”

Of the GM vehicles that made it to IIHS’s 2012 Top Safety Pick award list, 13 models had previously qualified for the 2011 award. These vehicles were carried over to 2012 because its structure is substantially the same as the IIHS tested for 2011. Carrying over for 2012 awards are the Buick LaCrosse, Regal and Enclave; the Chevrolet Cruze, Sonic, Volt, Equinox, Malibu and Traverse; the Cadillac CTS (sedan) and SRX, and GMC Terrain and Acadia.

As Chevrolet continues to expand its lineup into Europe, both the Malibu and Volt received top ratings in the European New Car Assessment crash tests. Both sedans got five stars in all categories and also made the Volt the first U.S.-branded electric car that’s rated with Euro NCAP’s top assessment.

“The Chevy Volt will be sold in Europe as an Opel Ampera and the Malibu’s appearance is its first in the European market.
The results confirm that both vehicles meet today’s highest safety standards. The Volt’s safety performance and propulsion concept highlight the reliability and practicality that is inherent to this outstanding design,” said Wayne Brannon, president and managing director of Chevrolet Europe.

[Source: LeftLane News]

The Chevrolet Malibu will get a 1.6L 4-cylinder turbo powerplant when it debuts in China, similar to its Buick Regal platform mate. While North America will forgo this engine in favor of larger displacement 4-cylinder engines, the 1.6L mill still produces 186 horsepower.

GM is attempting to position Chevrolet as an upmarket, rather than bargain brand, in China, and the Malibu will be an important product for both China and world markets at large, having been designed with their needs in mind.

[Source: China Car Times]

General Motors much loved LNF engine, the same 2.0L Ecotec that powered the Pontiac Solstice GXP, Saturn Sky Redline and Chevrolet Cobalt SS is continuing on in the Buick Regal Turbo and Buick Regal GS, but a new generation of turbocharged 4-cylinder motor is set to replace the LNF next year, packing even more power.

While the LNF makes as much as 270 horsepower and 295 lb-ft in the Regal GS, the new engine, dubbed the LHU, will be used as a replacement for V6 engines in mid-size cars, and is expected to make at least 280 horsepower in standard trim. Given that GM’s current “high feature” V6 makes 306 horsepower, we should expect a figure somewhere in that area.

The LHU will get its first use in the Cadillac ATS sports sedan and the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. Expect it to migrate to other products in the near future as well.

[Source: GM Inside News]

Chevrolet‘s European product line is mostly comprised of re-hashed Korean products that started out life as Daewoo products. But with the introduction of the 2013 Malibu, Chevrolet is hoping to change things a little by offering what it sees as a “premium” product for its European flagship.

The European market Malibu 164 hp 2.0-liter gasoline or a 169 hp 2.4-liter diesel four-cylinder, more in line with European offerings that favor small engines for both tax and fuel efficiency reasons. On the other hand, the Malibu is a physically large vehicle compared to competitive sedans, and consumer reaction to such a vehicle is unpredictable.

[Source: Automotive News]

The 2013 Chevrolet Malibu is supposed to be the most high-tech car in Chevy’s lineup. And in order to compete with Ford’s Sync, it’s going to be the car that debuts GM’s new MyLink infotainment system.

MyLink will be a touchscreen that features voice activation, Pandora Internet, Stitcher and XM satellite radios, hands-free dialing, USB and MP3 input, and Bluetooth—the sorts of features consumers not only expect these days, but are used to.

The system seems relatively fast and easy to understand, thanks to its 7-inch touchscreen. Consumers can get their hands on MyLink starting next spring, when the new Malibu debuts. Click the jump to see it in action.

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The first half of 2011 is officially over, and the Ford F-Series and Toyota Camry are still the top selling truck and car in America. While the F-Series has traditionally been the best selling vehicle in America since time immemorial, the Camry has often traded places with the Ford Taurus and Honda Accord, and our sales tally also lumps in sales of the Solara coupe as well, similar to the Corolla and Matrix, which are grouped together for second place in the passenger car standings.

The Chevrolet Silverado and Dodge Ram take second and third place in the truck standings, while the Corolla/Matrix, Nissan Altima, Ford Fusion round out the car category.

Other strong performers include the Hyundai Elantra and Sonata and the Volkswagen Jetta. All three are relative newcomers to the top of the sales charts, but have managed to gain significant market share amid recent re-designs.

[Source: The Truth About Cars]

General Motors will be adding two shifts and 2,500 hourly and salaried jobs to the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant to build the new Chevrolet Malibu and the next-generation Impala alongside the Chevrolet Volt and Opel Ampera electric cars.

Additional shifts and a $69 million investment in equipment have been made to support the next-generation Impala. In April 2010, GM announced that to support the Malibu production, a $121 million investment would be made.

“Filling this plant with new work is very satisfying because GM is dedicated to helping rebuild this city,” GM North America President Mark Reuss said at the plant Wednesday. “We are confident in the flexibility of the plant, the excellence of our workers and the great cars assembled here.”

Chevrolet’s new Malibu will be built in Detroit and Fairfax, Kan., as well as in China and Korea and will be sold in over 100 countries and six continents.

Detroit-Hamtramck currently has 1,121 hourly and salaried employees.

According to GM, the automaker has added or saved 9,000 jobs and invested $3.4 billion since mid-2009.

At the unveiling of the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, chief engineer Mark Moussa took some time to discuss the future of the car with the folks at egmCarTech, and Moussa took great lengths to tout the advantages of the new Ecotec 4-cylinder engine and the Malibu’s sporting character.

Naturally, Moussa was pressed on the possibility of a V6, SS or Hybrid variant. Moussa implied that the new Ecotec motor would deliver the benefits of a V6 with none of the trade-offs, leading us to conclude that the Malibu will follow the Hyundai Sonata in remaining exclusively a 4-cylinder, and leave the larger Impala to carry the V6 torch. Moussa was also non-commital regarding an SS variant, and a turbocharged Ecotec could fill the role nicely while competing with cars like the Hyundai Sonata 2.0T.

Finally, Moussa said that the Malibu Eco, which uses the eAssist mild hybrid system, is adequate for the car’s current needs, and didn’t comment on any further hybrid models.

[Source: egmCarTech]

Chevrolet will build their 2013 Malibu in China and South Korea before it beings production Stateside, solidifying Chevrolet’s aims for the Malibu to be a “world car”.

South Korea will be the first country to build the Malibu, starting in late 2011. China and the United States will begin building the car in early 2012. South Korean Malibus will be built domestically in order to dodge substantial levies on imported cars, while America will get cars built in both Michigan and Kansas.

Chevrolet notably debuted the car in China in advance of the car’s American introduction, with GM touting strong sales in Asia for the car.