General Motors has announced the end of production for the Chevrolet Malibu, its last sedan sold by its biggest brand in the US. This will take place at the Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Kansas in November. The plant will then be reconfigured to build the new Chevrolet Bolt EV. With this move, GM’s mainstream Chevrolet brand will only sell trucks, SUVs, and the Corvette sports car.
Ford made a similar decision by discontinuing the Taurus and Fusion sedans, leaving only the Mustang as its traditional car. Chevrolet also stopped production of its Mustang competitor, the Camaro, last year. According to Cox Automotive, traditional cars account for less than 20% of US auto sales. The Malibu, introduced in 1960 as the Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu, has been in production since 1997 but is now discontinued.
The Malibu has been an iconic model in Chevrolet’s lineup and has seen various iterations over the years. Last year, GM sold over 130,000 Malibus, signaling a 13% increase in sales. The final generation of the Malibu was introduced in 2016, making it older than competitors like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. Despite its long history and popularity, the Malibu’s production has officially come to an end.