(December 8, 2011) DETROIT — On the cusp of its global introductions, engineers for the all-new 2013 Chevrolet Malibu have rolled past 1 million miles of on-road development testing — accumulated in about 22 months on six continents.

Chevrolet says the extensive road development and validation process helps ensure the new Malibu’s overall ride and handling, comfort, quality and durability are exemplary when production begins, and meets the needs of customers around the world.

The new Malibu will be sold in nearly 100 countries on six continents, making it Chevrolet’s first global midsize sedan.

“You learn a lot about a car when you spend so much time in it — and that’s exactly the point,” said Mark Moussa, global chief engineer. “In the last year and a half, during every minute of the day, a 2013 Malibu has been driving somewhere around the world — all to make it the best car it can be.”

The million test miles were accumulated since the first quarter of 2010 on a fleet of about 170 pre-production vehicles, driven for a cumulative average of more than 45,450 miles every month. That’s the equivalent of:

    • 66.66 years of driving a car 15,000 miles annually
    • 201 round-trips between New York City and Los Angeles 
    • Two trips to the moon and back.

While the testing regiment for the Malibu mirrored GM’s standards for new-vehicle validation, the global scope of the Malibu project magnified it. More drivable prototypes — known as integration vehicles to GM engineers — were built compared with a single-market vehicle, and they represented 13 powertrain combinations and numerous equipment packages the Malibu will offer around the world.

The greater number of market conditions helped spin the program’s collective odometer quickly to the seven-digit range.

The early prototypes were hand-built by General Motors in the United States and shipped around the globe. They were driven at GM’s proving grounds around North America, as well as on the freeways, highways and back roads of the United States, Canada, Australia, South Korea, China, England, Dubai and Germany.

The development stage the Malibu pre-production cars represented meant the powertrains, suspensions and other core elements of the cars were already green-lighted for production. The round-the-clock driving helped fine-tune their overall dynamics in performance, interior quietness, seat comfort, drivability and more.

During their testing, the Malibus were driven through Death Valley in the hottest summer days to validate the air conditioning performance, and driven to the top of the Rocky Mountains for high-altitude tests. The cars were subjected to hundreds of miles of stop-and-go rush hour drives in Chicago and Seoul; and through the winding hills of North Carolina to evaluate seat comfort and other long-drive factors.

Even the coin holders were evaluated.

“Along more significant differences among markets, such as powertrains, there is a myriad of small details that vary in markets around the globe and they must all be validated in real-world driving tests,” said Moussa. “Even small things such as holders for toll change or tickets varies for different markets.

“In Korea, for example, the hazard lights are often used as a ‘thank you’ to other motorists, so the long-term durability of the switch must be ensured,” Moussa said. “So, we’ve got to test not only the big things, but the seemingly small ones, to make sure we are building a quality product that meets the needs of all these different markets and uses.”

The Malibu will go on sale in the U.S. in February.