Advertisement

Tech inside the 2016 Chevy Malibu teaches safe driving habits (update)

It won't be properly revealed until next month's New York Auto Show, but Chevrolet is already revving up the features inside its 2016 Malibu. The mid-size sedan will pack a system called Teen Driver: a tool to help parents foster safe driving habits, even when their kids are out for a solo trip. For starters, Teen Driver will automatically mute music if any of the front-seat riders haven' fastened their seat belts. It also offers both audio and visual warnings when the car's speed goes above a preset limit. The system tallys driving stats for a Report Card, tracking distance, max speed, over-speed warnings and incidents that trigger stability control, antilock brakes, forward collision alerts and the forward collision braking feature.

So that Jill or Joe don't turn off the bells and whistles that a 2016 model packs, certain safety features cannot be disabled when Teen Driver is employed. This means that things like blind zone alerts and traction control cannot be disabled if a new drivers tries to do so. The 2016 Malibu is set to debut in early April, when we're sure to get a much more detailed demo. For now, there's a quick survey of the features in the video below.

Update: This post originally reported that certain safety features were turned off in Teen Driver mode, which is inaccurate. Teen Driver mode prohibits anyone from disabling those features when it's activated, but things like blind zone alerts and others are still active. The text has been updated to correct the error.