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.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.

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.

The four-cylinder also gets unique 17-inch Chrometec wheels and a single chrome exhaust outlet.

The Malibu LTZ with the four-cylinder engine carries a base price of $26,245, including shipping charges.

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The Chevrolet Colorado hasn’t been much of a sales success recently. Despite competing in what many feel is an untapped market, the Colorado’s sales numbers in 2007 slipped by almost 20% compared to 2006.

The solution? Possibly offering a truck below the Colorado in size that combines a small footprint with a fuel-efficient engine.

Mike Levine over at Pickuptruck.com sat down with Chevy’s General Manager, Ed Peper, and asked if there’s a market for a vehicle similar to the Toyota A-BAT concept bound for Detroit. Read more »

While we were grateful that Bob Lutz ordered the removal of camouflage from all of the Camaro prototypes running around in view of the public, the teaser image that GM provided was a bit too eency weency for our tastes.

TheGMSource, however, found a larger version, or artfully blew up the small one, that shows a lot more detail. We can see the faux vents ahead of the rear wheels, as well as the surfacing of the Camaro’s rear with its faux diffuser (at least we think it’s faux).

Whoa, this thing’s got a lot of faux parts, but don’t expect it to be a poser on arrival. Chevy is no doubt infusing the Camaro with enough mechanical fortitude to hang with the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger from day one. Read more »

The Revitalization in Action team has given us dream lineups for Pontiac, Saturn, Saab and Buick in the past, and now it is Chevy’s turn to be transformed by GMInsideNews members ChevroletRevived and Fbodyrules.

As before, the RIA lineup for Chevy includes a makeover of the brand’s entire lineup, including new models not yet for sale like the Beat sub-compact and Volt.

Also included are a couple of models not even scheduled for production like a mid-size luxury hardtop convertible named the Bel-Air, a sports wagon called the Nomad, a long-wheelbase version of the Malibu called the Caprice, and finally, a Chevelle Concept based on the rear-wheel-drive Zeta platform and positioned as a sort of Impala coupe. Read more »

Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder, and any automotive passion is usually OK in our books, but this is pushing things a bit, even for us. Someone took a perfectly nice Camaro SS and added a bunch of Batman adoration to create this Batmaro, a.k.a. the Caped Crusader Camaro, complete with an appropriately winged body kit, Batman symbol spinner wheels, and the airbrushed visage of Gotham’s freedom fighter adorning its hood scoop.

Seems a shame the unknown owner didn’t start with a Ram-Air Trans-Am, which always looked to us like it emerged from the Bat Cave instead of a General Motors assembly plant. For some reason, the words Dark Knight Rider come to mind.

[Source: DCSportbikes.net]

So far, General Motors has been taking a measured approach with crossover vehicles. The General has recently rolled out the seven-to-eight-seat Lambda-based Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave to join its smaller Chevy Equinox, Pontiac Torrent and Saturn VUE. Now we’re hearing from the folks over at Motor Authority that an even smaller CUV based off of the Opel Corsa could soon be sold at your local Chevy dealer.European Opels are currently being brought into the US as re-badged and good-looking Saturns, but Chevy’s status as the General’s volume brand may garner it some of the styling and handling benefits of GM’s Euro marque.

GM already unveiled the T2X concept in Korea, showing that it has the design resources to make good-looking small CUVs, and some of those styling cues are destined to be used on an Opel Corsa-based CUV, reports Motor Authority. The cute ‘ute is rumored to hit our shores as a 2010 model wearing a Bow Tie badge instead of the Saturn stamp. The Chevy version of this small crossover will undoubtedly receive different powertrains than what’s offered overseas, and we’d imagine that a mild hybrid mated to a fuel-efficient four-cylinder would result in above average gas mileage.

[Source: Motor Authority]