INTRODUCTION As US market and global fuel economy and emissions requirements become more stringent, and customers demand higher fuel economy from their vehicles, advanced propulsion technologies play a key role in meeting these requirements. To this end, GM has developed and implemented vehicle electrification in a range of options ranging from e-Assist mild hybrid, 2-Mode strong hybrid, V oltec Extended Range Electrified Vehicle (EREV), and Battery Electric Vehicle. GM’s strong hybrid powertrain for the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu builds upon experience from previous strongly electrified systems including the 2-Mode hybrid [ 1] and the first generation Chevrolet V olt [2]. The new powertrain shares a largely common drive unit with the 2016 Chevrolet V olt. From the onset of the project, a key goal was to design a system that would be an efficient and effective HEV or EREV propulsion system which, while sharing many parts, was adapted where necessary to fit the unique mission of each vehicle type. HYBRID POWERTRAIN DEVELOPMENT GOALS As the strong hybrid propulsion system was developed, GM had the following goals: 1. Increased fuel efficiency in the conditions represented by the US EPA 5 cycle fuel economy tests 2. Ability to package in a range of front wheel drive vehicles, and reduction in overall packaging volume and mass, 3. Ability to support a range of engine displacements depending on vehicle requirements 4. Lar gely common drive unit between EREV and strong hybrid vehicles, with drive unit kinematically capable of high speed EV operation and transitions between EV and engine modes. For the HEV , this allows the envelope of EV power and duration to be set by the battery capability rather than limited by the drive unit. Malibu Hybrid Vehicle and Powertrain Content The Malibu Hybrid vehicle benefits from improvements in the vehicle platform, some of which are common to all versions, and others that are specific to the hybrid model. The Malibu Hybrid vehicle is built on a next generation vehicle platform that incorporates a number of improvements enabling improved vehicle efficiency. Through greater use of high strength steel in the body structure, increased use of aluminum components, and other design improvements, vehicle mass is reduced by 300 lb while providing more interior space. Tire rolling resistance is also lowered for improved fuel economy. The hybrid version of the vehicle also incorporates upper and lower active shutters for improved aerodynamic drag. Integrated into this platform is the Malibu Hybrid powertrain system shown in Figure 1. The system consists of an engine, battery pack, accessory power module (APM), transaxle drive unit which includes a transmission, motors, and power inverter, and associated thermal systems to provide cooling. Each of these parts of the system will now be described in more detail.Development of Hybrid-Electric Propulsion System for 2016 Chevrolet Malibu Brendan Conlon, Mindy Barth, Charles Hua, Clifford Lyons, Dan Nguy, and Margaret Palardy General Motors Co. ABSTRACT GM has developed an all-new gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain for the model year 2016 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid vehicle, which was designed to achieve excellent fuel economy, performance, and drive quality. The powertrain shares the transmission architecture with the 2016 Chevrolet V olt extended range electric vehicle, but includes changes to optimize the system for engine driven charge sustaining operation in the range of conditions represented by the US EPA 5 cycle fuel economy tests. In this paper, we describe the Malibu Hybrid propulsion system features and components, including the battery pack, transaxle, electric motors and power electronics, engine, and thermal system. The modifications between the V olt and Malibu Hybrid propulsion systems are discussed and explained as resulting from the differences between the primarily electric and gasoline powered applications. Additio