Ford’s decision to discontinue its entire sedan lineup a few years ago was one that sent shockwaves throughout the automotive industry, and it certainly raised eyebrows – and concerns – among consumers and investors alike. However, sedan sales had been on the decline for years to that point already as Americans were clearly showing a preference for crossovers, SUVs, and trucks, and that trend has only continued to grow, which has made Ford’s controversial decision seem pretty smart in retrospect. While a couple of coupes are still around and kicking, other automakers have also been axing sedans over the past few years, and now, that list has grown to include the Chevy Malibu, according to GM Authority.
Production of the Chevy Malibu will reportedly end at the automaker’s Fairfax Assembly plant in Kansas this fall, and that plant will then be retooled for the production of the next-generation Chevy Bolt EV, which will be built alongside the Cadillac XT4. “To facilitate the installation of tooling and other plant modifications, after nine-generations and over 10 million global sales, GM will end production of the Chevrolet Malibu in November 2024 and pause production of the Cadillac XT4 after January 2025,” said GM spokesperson Kevin Kelly.
The Chevy Malibu will reportedly live on for the 2025 model year as a result – albeit, likely a short one – before it’s ultimately discontinued. However, oddly enough, GM is reportedly planning on bringing back that same model in 2026 for the 2027 model year, though it’s unclear what sort of vehicle it will be.
As part of this process, the Fairfax plant will cease production next January altogether before undergoing a retooling process that will result in some layoffs, according to GM. However, Kelly noted that affected workers “will be supported according to the provisions of the UAW-GM agreement.”
We’ll have more on everything Ford’s competition is up to soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for continuous Ford news coverage.
Comments
So-called American car companies are no longer going to manufacture ICE automobiles. Looks like I will have to buy Korean cars as much as I hate to.
What a stupid comment…the Koreans build even more EV models than the Americans!
Do some research jacka$$…the Koreans are cancelling their cars as well…
TOYOTA and NISSAN still build sedans. Don’t worry about who the builder is. The masses don’t seem to care anyway.
I parked next to a malibu yesterday and thought to myself if they still made them. Prolly long in the tooth
As owner of an Opel Ampera/Chevy Volt and a 1979 Chevy Malibu, there´s absolutely no way I will buy trash like the Bolt or any SUV or crossover. If GM axes its sedans, I will buy german, italian, asian, Tesla or whoever offers me a sedan. Not everybody like SUV´s or crossovers or is willing to buy one no matter what.
Sales are not there because there are not many offered. I hate how they try to shove suv and trucks down our throats. Also FYI, no updates have been done to the Malibu in about 5 years which also hurt sales.
Its about TIME! The Malibu was an aging POS that was only seen in the rental fleet. GM should have killed it long ago!
Well that’s part of that mentality that is hard for me to understand. Car and truck builders are often so obsessed with changing things that work with something unproven then they have problems. I would hardly call the MALIBU crap but that’s your prerogative. I rented a couple during vacations and another when my ’21 ALTIMA was rear ended and destroyed on the freeway back in late 2022. I found them to be solid and smooth riding cars. Before the settlement check came, I wasn’t sure the NISSAN dealers were going to have an identical ALTIMA so I seriously considered a MALIBU since the CHEVROLET dealers had several in stock. When the check finally came, a NISSAN dealer had a ’23 ALTIMA indentical to my totaled example except for the color. Without hesitation, I bought this one. The ALITMA had more standard HP without a turbo with their potential long term problems and I was familiar with the ALTIMA. The MALIBU would have been fine but I like to keep things the same if possible.
Most regular sized SUV’s are getting comparable gas mileage to Sedans. This is not a big loss.