The End of an Era: Chevy Malibu to Stop Production as General Motors Shifts Focus to Trucks, SUVs and Electric Cars

The Chevrolet Malibu, once the most popular sedan sold by General Motors, will cease production this year. The last sedan sold by the company’s biggest brand, the Malibu will end its production in November as the Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Kansas, where it was built is being reconfigured to produce a new generation of the Chevrolet Bolt EV. With this decision, General Motors’ mainstream Chevrolet brand will now only sell trucks, SUVs and Corvettes in the United States.

Ford made a similar decision years ago when it stopped selling Taurus and Fusion sedans leaving Mustang as their only traditional car option. Last year, Chevy also stopped producing its Mustang competitor Camaro. Traditional cars make up less than 20% of US auto sales according to Cox Automotive.

The last generation of the Malibu was introduced in 2016 and is now older than popular competitors like Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. A new version of the Camry recently went into production as a hybrid car option. Despite being older than its competitors, GM sold over 130,000 units last year which was a 13% increase from the previous year.

First introduced in 1960s as a more luxurious version of Chevelle known as Chevelle Malibu, it became its own distinct model by the 70s. The Malibu model line ceased production in 1983 but was reintroduced in 1997 and has been in production ever since.