General Motors has announced that the Chevrolet Malibu, the last remaining sedan in its lineup, will no longer be produced after this year. Production of the Malibu will end in November at the Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Kansas, where it is manufactured. The plant will be reconfigured to produce the new generation of the Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car.
Following the discontinuation of the Malibu, General Motors’ mainstream Chevrolet brand will only sell trucks, SUVs, and the Corvette sports car in the United States. This move mirrors the decision made by Ford in recent years when it stopped selling sedans like the Taurus and Fusion, leaving only the Mustang in its car lineup. Chevrolet also recently stopped production of its Mustang competitor, the Camaro.
Traditional cars, which include sedans like the Malibu, make up less than 20% of auto sales in the United States according to Cox Automotive. Despite the decline in sedan sales, GM sold over 130,000 Malibus last year, marking a 13% increase from the previous year.
Originally introduced as a luxury version of the Chevrolet Chevelle in the 1960s, the Malibu became its own distinct model by the 1970s. Although production of the Malibu ended in 1983, it was later reintroduced in 1997 and has been in production since. Even though the Malibu is being discontinued, it has a rich history as part of Chevrolet’s lineup for many years.