Holden Malibu will come here

It's called the Malibu and it will be ready for local roads in the second half of 2012.

The all-new Malibu is being previewed at the Shanghai and New York motor shows this month and will be a global model for General Motors, wearing a Chevrolet badge in most countries except Australia. But the car has a local connection as its design - only a hint is provided in a teaser picture from GM this week of the LTZ model - is deliberately linked to the shape and style of the successful Chevrolet Camaro that was designed at Fishermans Bend for production in the USA.

The Malibu name has a long history in the USA that tracks back to 1964, and the new car will be the eighth generation. But it's the first Malibu with a global role, as it will be sold in around 100 countries and built at two factories in the USA, one in China and one in Korea.

It is expected to come with similar engines to Holden's Cruze - including a 2.4-litre four and a turbocharged 2.0-litre unit - and information from the USA points to chassis development by Opel in Europe.

But Holden says it's too early to go into details for the Australian car. "It's a fair way in the future," says Holden spokesman, Jonathon Rose. But he confirms Malibu is coming and the global impact of the car.

"It's a global car. It doesn't matter where it's built, it's the same car. And world class," he says. "They will be built all over the world. They will be built in the USA and they will be built in Korea. Our choice will be between the USA and Korea. It's still to be determined."

The Malibu will the third mid-sized nameplate in Holden dealerships in recent years, following Vectra from Europe and the Korean-built Epica. The Epica has been a relative failure for Holden, with only 180 sales in the first two months of this year compared to 2116 for the class leading Toyota Camry and 854 for the Subaru Liberty. Still, the result is better than the 166 Epica sales in January and February 2010.