GM Tweaks Year-Old Chevrolet Malibu Sedan

General Motors Co. says key updates to its midsize Chevrolet Malibu should help revive sagging demand for the year-old design. The 2014 model, which goes on sale in about three months, was unveiled today.

GM says the unusually quick updates for the car reflect the company's resolve to improve its products faster, especially in the fiercely competitive midsize sedan segment.

Malibu sales in the U.S. dropped 12% to 70,900 units through the first four months of this year, according to Autodata Corp. Formerly GM would have waited a few years before sprucing up the car. But this time, declares GM North America President Mark Reuss, "We're not sitting still."

Upgrades for the Malibu include suspension enhancements borrowed from the larger 2014 Chevy Impala along with a more massive front-end design inspired by the Impala. Revised seats and cushion material add 1.25 inches of knee room for back-row occupants.

The car's standard 2.5-liter Ecotec four-cylinder engine adds an automatic stop/start system and a variable intake valve lift system that reduces pumping losses under low-load, low-speed conditions. The tweaks add 1 mpg each to the Malibu's city and highway fuel economy ratings (to 23/35 mpg).

The optional 2.0-liter turbocharged engine delivers 295 lb-ft of torque, 14% more than the 2013 model. Horsepower is unchanged at 259 hp.