Chevrolet is delivering the midsized Malibu sedan in the European region as its flagship as part of the attempts of General Motors Co. to extend its product lineup in the continent beyond its low-priced small and minicars offerings. The Malibu will be available in German showrooms in July, offered for as low as 29,990 euros or $37,395. The vehicle model will be offered with a 160 hp, 2-0 liter diesel or a 167 hp, 2.4-liter gasoline engine. This sedan fills the gap in the European region that Epica has left. However, this will not be a big seller for Chevrolet. According to a company spokesperson, the vehicle is considered as a "niche model." The Malibu is based on the Epsilon II platform of GM that also supports the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia.
In Germany, the Malibu has a price of 500 less compared to the equivalent Insignia which has the same diesel engine. However, the Malibu has a higher specification, Chevrolet revealed. Confirmed standard features available in the German models are touchscreen satellite navigation for the diesel-powered vehicles and keyless entry and leather seats for the higher spec gasoline variant. The Malibu is already being sold in Switzerland and Austria
It is also set to roll out in other markets in the next months. The bestselling vehicles of Chevrolet in Europe are the Aveo subcompact and the Spark minicar. As the company seeks to double its sales to 1 million by 2016 in the region, including Turkey and Russia, it added the Orlando minivan and the Cruze hatchback, among other models. The company spokesperson stated that they are "trying to establish" Chevrolet in "every market sector." At the Paris vehicle show in September, the brand will introduce a subcompact SUV called the Traxx. From January to April, Chevrolet achieved sales of nearly 67,000 vehicles in the 27 European Union countries, an increase by 14% from the same period a year before. This gave the company a 1.5 market share, the data from industry association ACEA revealed.
