I remember my brother’s old 1968 Chevy Malibu which was, well, an awesome looking car that simply needed more power from its deceivingly big 5.0-liter V8 engine. I know, he should have opted for a Chevelle SS. Since then, the Malibu has become a watered down mid-sized-4-door slush box that would otherwise be completely overlooked until you end up at the rental car counter. The upcoming 2012 Chevrolet Malibu will be taking a totally different direction, one that hopes to bring some life back into the name from the looks of the exterior design teaser video below. We expect the new 2012 Malibu will be something along the lines of a bigger and more refined Chevy Cruze, something that is universally styled for several world markets.

GM may still have something in the works for a RWD 4-door vehicle wearing the bowtie but unfortunately it won’t be the new Malibu. The good thing about the Malibu teaser is the Camaro-esq styled taillights. That’s got to be a sign of ‘good’ things to come right? Check out the exterior design elements in the video below.

[source: WorldCarFans via Chevrolet]