Making something sturdy and reliable doesn’t always require lots of innovation and technology—sometimes, all it takes is a look back at the past.
To ensure the next-generation 2016 Malibu can handle the world’s worst roads (even if it never needs to drive on them), Chevrolet looked at data collected over four decades from across the globe.
Since 1972, data-collection boxes have been placed in cars around the world, which record all kinds of things that happen to it, like the harshness and frequency of every bump, shudder, and jounce it experiences.
Chevrolet used this kind of data to build unique road courses and engineer durability-testing machines, which could be used to test the 2016 Malibu’s durability through harsh abuse. As a result, the car has logged in more than 1.5 million miles of driving in controlled environments and an open roads, including in scorching-hot Arizona and freezing-cold Northern Canada.
And that means when you drive off in a 2016 Malibu from College Chevrolet Buick, you know it’ll take you anywhere.