Is This The Chevrolet Malibu Coupe That Didn't Happen?

"Blake Noble" (no-bull) 02/12/2014 at 17:18 • Filed to: Cars That Didn't Happen

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Thanks to the sport-ute boom of the late '90s and the demand for crossover vehicles that followed, the market for mainstream mid-sized cars has become boring and predictable. With the notable exception of Honda with the Accord coupe, automakers no longer offer two-door versions of their best-selling family sedans. That's one reason why it's such a damn shame GM didn't help buck the trend and build the Malibu coupe you see here.

Sourced, believe it or not, from a simple Google image search conducted some moons ago, this image has been hanging out on my harddrive long enough to have taken its first steps and say its first curse word. Designed by current !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , who is mainly responsible for the design of the Buick Verano, this could very well have been !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! when Chevrolet unveiled the 2013 Malibu sedan at the 2011 New York Auto Show.

It's quite a handsome design from the front fenders back. In the included rear-quarter view, the greenhouse and roofline vaguely suggest something akin to the classic 1968 to 1969 Chevelle Malibus of days gone by. Gone, thankfully, are the sedan's dual Viewfinder taillights and the stacked decklid design borrowed from Chris Bangle's wastebasket. Perhaps what's even more interesting are the SS badges plastered to the car's trunk and the boy racer body kit. This could also be our only look as to what a SS variant of the 'Bu could've been like.

The current Malibu hasn't received the same accolades as its new-for-2008 predecessor, mainly because of its bottom-of-the-class fuel economy, questionable styling, and tight back seat. It's amazing how removing its back two doors fixes most of that.

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N/A POWAAAHH > Blake Noble 02/12/2014 at 17:31

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new GTO

Jayhawk Jake > Blake Noble 02/12/2014 at 17:49

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Honestly, I almost like this more than the Camaro as a GM sports coupe, and I really like the Camaro

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > Blake Noble 02/12/2014 at 17:51

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Chevy Malibu Chevelle? Make it AWD and give it a half decent powertrain and I think it would be perfect.

Blake Noble > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather 02/12/2014 at 18:05

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That would be an interesting alternative to the Camaro.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > Blake Noble 02/12/2014 at 18:09

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Well it wouldn't step on its toes too much. People will never cross shop a FWD based-AWD coupe that comes from a family sedan with a RWD muscle car.