Chevrolet is celebrating its 110th anniversary at the 2021 Guangzhou Auto Show by making it look like the SEMA. In fact, the US automaker brought seven modified cars in China, with five of them based on the humble Malibu. Among those, the Chevy Malibu Code X Coupe is by far the most noteworthy, sporting a Camaro face.
The US-spec ninth-generation Malibu was
introduced back in 2015 with the facelift following in 2018. The Chevy Malibu
is also launched in a slightly different version, called the Malibu XL, in the
Chinese market. Besides their love for sedans, Chinese customers have a thing
for tuned show cars which explains why Chevrolet prepared quite a feast for
them at the Guangzhou Auto Show. From the first glance, it is difficult to
identify the Code X as a Malibu, due to the extensive visual modifications. In
fact, it appears that the model is only sharing its green-house, roofline, and
front doors with the production model.
At the front, the full Camaro conversion
includes a ZL1-style bumper with additional winglets and a prominent
carbon-fiber splitter. The headlights have been darkened while a bonnet scoop
has been added. The 3/4 view reveals that this is no Camaro, thanks to the
narrow tracks and the long wheelbase betraying the Malibu origins. Wide fenders
have been added on both axles along with fake side intakes and aerodynamic side
sills although there are some fitment issues with the stock door panel.
As you would expect from a Camaro-faced
Malibu, there is also a rear-door delete with fake vents on the side windows
that make no sense whatsoever. A set of shiny aftermarket wheels are struggling
to fit inside the wheel arches due to the extremely lowered suspension. The
rear end is equally weird with tinted Camaro taillights looking kind of cool
combined with the original trunk lines. The rear wing is of course a must for
this kind of a show car. Lastly, the redesigned rear bumper is fitted with a
carbon-fiber diffuser, DTM style blades, and quad exhaust pipes.
We don’t know what hides under the bonnet
of the Malibu Code X but we really hope it is not one of the stock units. To be
precise, the China-spec Malibu XL is available with a turbocharged 1.3-liter, a
naturally-aspirated 1.5-liter, and a turbocharged 2.0-liter and none of them is
grunty enough to support this type of visual drama.
