By Seyi Geshinde, Tribune - General Motors has said that it will begin the building of its next-generation Chevrolet Malibu about four months ahead of time. This, it said, would be the company's latest efforts to accelerate the delivery of new cars and trucks to dealers' showrooms. The automaker said it had advanced its timetable for the midsize Malibu to early 2012 - several months earlier than planned.
According to GM's report, the new Malibu would start production in January 2012, as opposed to May. GM said the Malibu on arrival would be the company's first globally sold midsize car. The company said it was studying its programme to see if it would move quicker.
The automaker said it was forced to delay spending on a number of new car and truck programs during its 2009 bankruptcy, to save on costs.
GM said it took advantage of greater manufacturing flexibility at its factories and efficiencies built into its global platform to accelerate the car's production schedule.
The Malibu is a real workhorse vehicle for GM, ranking among its top-selling vehicles for 2010. According to GM, the company sold 198,770 Malibu last year.
The Malibu was redesigned for the 2008 model year, and after production, the new model would compete against newer versions of the Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima. However, other automakers also are preparing to release new contenders in the midsize segment. Nissan Motor Company is expected to release a new Altima next year and Toyota Motor Company is working on production of a new Camry.
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