DETROIT - The all-new 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco will start at $25,995 when it arrives at U.S. dealerships early next year, General Motors Co. said Tuesday morning.

The new midsize sedan — a fuel-efficient variant of the next-generation Malibu — features GM's new e-Assist technology, which uses a small, shoe-box-size battery to aid the engine in certain driving conditions. The Eco version gets a GM-estimated 26 mpg city and 38 mpg highway. GM plans to roll out the rest of the redesigned 2013 Malibu lineup next year, reported The Detroit News.

GM has priced the new Malibu Eco just under many segment rivals that use hybrid or diesel technology to improve fuel economy.

The Toyota Camry Hybrid, for instance, boasts slightly better gas mileage — an EPA-estimated 41 mpg city and 39 mpg highway — but costs $665 more.

"General Motors is touting the Chevy Malibu Eco in the same breath as midsize hybrids, but the Eco's combined fuel economy is simply not in the same class," Edmunds.com analyst Ivan Dury said. "It takes years worth of gas station fill-ups to recover the price premium of a hybrid, and this Eco trim level carries the same type of premium but less efficiency than a hybrid."