General Motors will formally stop producing the Chevrolet Malibu this fall after years of speculation following GM’s secret admission that it was permanently exiting the four-door market. Cruze production terminated in 2019, Impala in 2020, and Sonic and Spark suffered similar fates.
Despite the uncertainty above, the Malibu lasted approximately as long as GM had predicted. A short look at the sales figures shows why: the midsize family car was one of Chevrolet’s best-selling models in 2023. The Equinox CUV and Silverado were the only two models that outsold it. While we suspect many Malibuses went to fleets, an annual volume of 130,000 units is nothing to sneeze at.
The Malibu is one of Chevrolet’s oldest nameplates, dating back to 1964. However, it went on hiatus from 1984 until 1996. During its absence, the front-wheel-drive Chevrolet Celebrity and Lumina later took over. The latter coexisted with the regenerated Malibu for several years before turning extinct in 2001.
The sedan’s retirement will make way for a new car, albeit another little one. The Fairfax Assembly factory in Kansas will be retooled to produce the successor Chevrolet Bolt. Fairfax also houses the Cadillac XT4; the tiny Caddy crossover manufacturing will be halted for retooling. However, as a GM representative confirmed with the News, it will resume alongside the Bolt once the update is completed.
