Holden will launch a uniquely-styled version of the rest of the world’s Chevrolet Malibu sedan, images just issued by the Australian division of GM reveal.

The D-segment sedan will slot into the Holden range below the full sized Commodore sedan.

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A statement from Holden notes that “a number of engineering vehicles [have recently arrived] in Australia”. Suspension and transmission settings will be fine-tuned for the country’s “unique and varied” conditions.

“The early production Holden Malibus are in town to continue months of rigorous local and global development and validation work ahead of the vehicle’s 2013 launch”, the statement adds.

The new car marks the return to unique front ends for Holdens which are sourced from GM plants in Asia. The brand’s most recently launched model, the Colorado ute, caused much comment for having its body-coloured Chevrolet grille carried over with just a Holden lion attached where Chevy’s stylised bow tie symbol had been.

For the Malibu, the Chevrolet grille has been replaced by a fresh design that includes the same honeycomb black backing but incorporates a larger chrome-effect top bar and the Holden lion.

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The Holden Malibu is to be sourced from GM Korea’s Bupyeong plant. It will come down the same line as the local market’s Chevrolet Malibu. The car is also built at two plants in the US (Fairfax, Kansas and Detroit-Hamtramck, Michigan), and assembled in China (Jingjiao, Shanghai) and Uzbekistan (Asaka).

Author: Glenn Brooks