The largest US automaker General Motors Corp., which filed for bankruptcy protection on June 1, decided on Thursday to suspend production of the Chevrolet Malibu hybrid due to poor sales, a move that comes as the automaker continues to work on a next-generation hybrid system set for 2010.

In a letter notifying its dealers, the company said the dealers can not order 2010 Malibu hybrids because of a glut of 2009 models.

The four-cylinder model with a six-speed transmission debuted last summer and it was the first of its kind for the American auto industry.

In March 2008, then-CEO Rick Wagoner announced plans for the next-generation hybrid system in 2010 and said GM would make it available in a wide range of cars and trucks around the world.

(Xinhua News Agency June 12, 2009)