Rather than the new battery causing the headlights and wipers to come on, this sounds more like the lights and wipers were already playing up, coming on randomly for no reason, and killing the original battery when your back was turned.

This is a relatively common problem and can usually be traced back to the car’s body computer. If the computer starts to act up, it can switch on various things including lights and wipers, even though the car is locked in the driveway and the key is in your kitchen.

Try an auto electrician who is a bit more familiar with modern body computer set-ups, but in the meantime, there’s a quick trick you can try that might stop the car misbehaving. Disconnect the car’s battery and leave it overnight before reconnecting it. This can sometimes be enough to reset the body computer and the problem will go away. Beware, though, this fix might be temporary and may return some weeks or months later.

It's not decided if Holden will bring in the new Malibu post-2017 when it stops production of the Commodore. It's been touted as a Commodore replacement, but there are other options the company is considering. Local production of the Cruze will come to an end, but the car will continue as an imported model. Whatever happens Holden will continue to support both cars with parts well into the future. You should feel confident that you can buy either one and not be left with an orphan.