By today's standards, the Chevrolet Malibu is an old product. The ninth generation came out in 2015, and three years later, it was given a mid-cycle refresh. But the mid-size car has just received a more comprehensive upgrade – or has it?
If you call daydreaming real, then it has, yet to the rest of us, these are mere renderings of a hypothetical successor to the current Malibu. You see, there aren't any official details about a possible tenth generation. However, the unofficial data suggests that it is coming in 2025.
Word on the street is that the upcoming Malibu will be built on the VSS-F architecture, which the Trailblazer, Trax, Buick Envista, and Encore GX also use. This means the old E2XX platform will finally be put to rest. As for the place where it will come to life, chances are it will be the same factory in Kansas that puts the current one together.
Mind you, it will obviously look nothing like these digital illustrations that made their way to YouTube a few hours ago on Q Cars' channel. The AI-generated CGIs portray the next-generation Chevy Malibu with futuristic styling, and we certainly wouldn't complain if GM's design team decided to use some of its traits for inspiration.
Photo: Screenshot Youtube | Q Cars
The car has a roofline that is arched towards the rear. It also has muscular shoulders, new lines on the profile, hidden door handles for a cleaner stance, tiny side mirrors, a rather pointy nose defined by a big central air intake in the new bumper, a small grille decorated by the bowtie brand's logo in black, a pair of side vents, and new LED headlights.
Other highlights of the mid-size model include the fresh lines that stretch on the hood from the grille all the way to the A-pillars. The design out back is just as dramatic, as it includes a pair of slim LED taillights, an angular bumper, a rather minimalistic diffuser with new tailpipe trim, and a very steep rear windscreen. The OEM logo sits between the new taillights and, just like the one up front, it has a black look. The wheels are on the realistic side of things and complete the digital makeover.
Between us, we're excited about the next-gen Malibu, as the car world needs more such rides, especially since the segment is shrinking with models such as the Kia Stinger and Nissan Maxima biting the dust recently. The current Malibu is not a great seller anymore, yet it is probably partially due to its age. This will be solved by the upcoming one, which will offer improved everything, from the power and design to the safety and technology features. Could it convince you to buy it if it looks like this?
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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