New York 2011: Chevrolet debuts 2013 Malibu, surprises with 38-mpg ECO model

From the early perspective, I'd say it looks like it will.
The two main things against the BAS was the price and labeling. It was just a more capable auto start/stop with hybrid pricing, and nearly everyone saw that.
Price is still an issue for the eAssist, and I haven't heard anything on that front. But they seem to have wised up on calling it a hybrid. So hopefully the wisdom has spread to other areas.

 

It appears to be progess on start/stop, but there is the question of price and how good the redesign is. I would image that the new sonata hybrid will provide more bang per buck and city fuel eonomy for those that want a conventional transmission in this type of car. It will also face a redesigned Camry and the current fusion.

 

The key to high performance auto stop is how fast the car can travel and still engage the (ICE) auto stop. I have yet to see an assist hybrid setup that comes anywhere near the 45 mph of the G3 Prius. The Honda IMA is limited to speeds of < 15 mph if I remember correctly. The original GM mild assist setup was pretty much at a full stop only. Honda invested a lot of expertise and R&D in decreasing engine friction and pumping losses during coasting since they could not coast > 15 mph, but I doubt GM (even if able) has done the same.

This iteration's still poor city MPG suggests no improvement in the auto-stop speed range. The improved highway MPG has nothing to do with hybrid assist I suspect, and is more a matter of gearing and maybe cylinder deactivation on the drivetrain side, and perhaps air friction improvements to the body.

 

their raised Buick's price by 3k when they added mild-hybrid.

Anyone else feels it is funny how they dont want to market it as hybrid? Calling it Eco, people wont realize it is any different from special Eco models from other manufactures with longer gearing, eco tires, etc.

 

I am baffled a wee bit.

"Sometimes called a mild hybrid, the eAssist system uses power stored in a lithium ion battery and an electric motor generator to give a boost to the 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine when the car accelerates."

So it has two motors and an extra battery that recharges, but the company doesn't call it a hybrid themselves?

"Mark Reuss, GM's North American president, said the relatively inexpensive technology gives buyers an affordable option to significantly boost fuel economy without having to buy a conventional hybrid or plug-in hybrid such as the Chevrolet Volt.

'Not everyone can afford those. We know that,' Reuss told reporters..."

Is it not called a hybrid for engineering/scientific reasons I don't understand, or is it a form of marketing to somehow distance themselves from cars like the Prius and Insight?

source: Chevrolet Malibu Eco targets 38 mpg in highway driving - AutoWeek Magazine

 

Well, my guess is that GM wants consumers to forget the previous generation mild hybrid system they put in the Malibu. They called it BAS if I remember right, and charged a $2k premium for 1 (one) mpg increase in fuel economy.

I do not remember a lot details. I think they added a second battery that powered a beefed up alternator at 44 volts. All the system was capable of doing was to start the car rolling and spin the ICE prior to ignition from a complete stop. I am not sure but I think regen was possible, although at 44 volts the amount was trivial.

 

OK, thanks. Yes, I found an the old article about it through your links. In C&D tests, old Malibu "hybrid" got 19.8 mpg(!) city, and 29.9 mpg on the highway. Also:

"The as-tested price of this hybrid Malibu is $26,575, by far the lowest of the group, but with cloth seats, no sunroof, and a weight-saving can of tire inflator instead of an honest spare tire, it doesn’t seem like a wise way to spend $3950 more than a base Malibu to save a minor amount of fuel."

This 38 highway one does sound much better than the first try.

 

I wonder how much they would improve Drag Coefficient on Gen-III...

 

I think it is certainly worth looking into. Worse case it will be great in winter if you have a dual sensing unit (speed and temp with temp over-riding speed).

 

GM has so many issues at this point, it's hard to know where to begin.

They renamed their second-generation BAS system to eAssist, so it wouldn't be associated with hybrids anymore. Then what do they do shortly before the reveal? They rename it again to ECO. No wonder so many of their supporters confuse facts. It's really hard to follow history with changes like that.

To make matters worse, they abandon the "not a hybrid" approach itself by comparing their system to 4 other hybrids. The comparisons themselves are total greenwashing too. Listing only the competition's highways estimate is called cherry-picking. That intentional exclusion of both city & combined estimates is just plain wrong.

Then of course, the entire purpose of that approach was missed. Having a goal of being significantly less expensive would offset the less effective hybrid system. Well, that didn't happen. 26 city and 38 highway for $25,995 isn't enough to compete with Camry's 43 city and 39 highway for $26,660.

Also note how the press release made no mention whatsoever about emissions.
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STREAMLINED ALL-NEW FORD FOCUS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCES AERODYNAMIC DRAG, ADDING FUEL EFFICIENCY | Ford Motor Company Newsroom

If its the same percentage increase on the prii, this would be 1mpg better fuel economy. One main efficiency step is faster engine warm up in cold weather. The biggest downside is overheating if the shutters get stuck closed. The benefit might not be as big in the prius though because the EHRS already tries to save heat.

 

Didn't we beat GM's low tech / quasi hybrid / not a hybrid stuff to death not too long ago?

http://priuschat.com/forums/gm-hybrids/48007-chevy-malibu-even-hybrid.html

Ahhh history - lest we forget.
As for me - I'm still hoping for the day GM will no longer be owned by the Fed's. But I stopped holding my breath.
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so not only bad mpg, but also high price.
I thought the main point of mild hybrids would be much lower entry price?