The Chevy Malibu LTZ Introduces New Passive Entry System

During college, I had the habit of blindly throwing my keys into my backpack when I didn’t need them. Having them in my pocket or hanging them from my belt while sitting in a desk was obnoxious, so stowing them away was the obvious decision. Through the hustle and bustle of the day, though, they would inevitably sink to the bottom of whatever pouch they were in.

When I got to my car at the end of the day, finding my keys was typically a several minute ordeal filled with lots frustration and cursing. My keys especially loved playing hide and seek when it was raining, finding a nice cozy spot in an obscure fold in my bag to wait for me to find them.

Chevy Eliminates the Need to Search for Keys

Most people who’ve ever carried a bag or a purse can relate. Another tough one is coming from the approaching the car with your arms full of groceries and then having to stop, set everything down, and find your keys. It’s obvious that the designers at Chevy have as well, because they’ve developed a system for the new 2013 Malibu LTZ to get around this dilemma.

With the available passive entry feature equipped, as long as you’re within three feet of the Malibu and you have your key fob on you, all it takes is a push of a button on the handle to unlock the door.

Chevy recognizes that simple technology like this can make a big difference. “Available passive entry on all of the doors was a feature we wanted to offer our Malibu customers,” said Phil Carlisle, Chevrolet Malibu product manager. “It’s small things like this that can go a long way in making everyday use of your vehicle easier.”

Developing the Passive Entry System

Engineers toyed around a bit with how the feature would actually operate. They investigated a system that would simply unlock the Malibu’s doors when the driver and the key fob were within close enough range of the vehicle. This quickly proved problematic, as drivers would unwittingly unlock the vehicle as they were casually walking by it with no intention of getting in. The final system, involving the unlock buttons on the doors handles, makes the feature easier to use overall.

If you would like to learn more about passive entry for the 2013 Chevy Malibu, feel free to contact the sales team at Cox Chevy.