It’s the end of the road for another long-running American sedan.
American sedans are nearly extinct these days, as icons like the Ford Crown Victoria, Taurus and old-school Dodge Charger have rolled off into the sunset. SUVs have taken over the market, though one long-running marque has quietly carried on since its last revamp for the 2019 model year: the Chevrolet Malibu. After 60 years since the first example rolled off the assembly line, though, General Motors finally confirmed it would kill off its last remaining traditional sedan in November.
So, we will still see the midsize sedan that’s been a favorite among rental fleets continue its run at the Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas City for a few more months. After that, though, it will end Malibu production and pause assembly of the Cadillac XT4, which rolls out of the same plant, until late 2025 to retool for the new Chevy Bolt. (When plant improvements are done, GM will build both the Bolt and the XT4 on the same line). The automaker plans to drop $390 million to support the next-generation Bolt, which will ride on its new Ultium platform, unlike the last model.
GM cites consumer choice — which leans heavily toward cross-overs and large SUVs right now — as the driving force behind the Malibu’s demise. Mind you, the Malibu hasn’t fared as badly as Ford’s Fusion and Taurus sedans did before they’re demise, as the company still sold 32,749 in the first quarter of 2024 (again, thank fleet sales for that). Nevertheless, that only represents 8.4% of Chevrolet’s overall quarterly sales, where SUVs and trucks now reign supreme as the brand already killed off the Impala and the Sonic for the North American market in 2020.
With the Malibu’s departure, the only GM brand that still has sedans anywhere in the product mix is Cadillac. Notably, it’s also the only American luxury brand that still sells sedans at all, as the CT4 and CT5 face no direct rivals from Ford’s Lincoln brand or Chrysler. Stellantis does sell the Alfa Romeo Giulia, a compact executive sedan, but they are exclusively built in Italy.
Will there be a next-generation Malibu?
Buttressing GM’s point on consumers largely preferring SUVs, I’m sure a fair number of you folks out there clicked into this post and thought, “Wait, Chevy still makes the Malibu?”, since it’s been flying so far under the radar.
Reports are somewhat conflicted on whether the company plans to build a direct replacement. At the moment, there’s no direct confirmation, since automakers typically won’t comment on future product on a whim. However, some outlets including GM Authority note a Malibu replacement is in the cards for the 2026 or 2027 model year. If that does happen, then we may only see a single model year gap between the current model, which will get a final 2025 model later this year, and the next-generation version.
The Chevrolet Malibu first debuted back in 1964 as a higher-end model of the Chevelle, and only became its own model in 1978, during the fourth generation. GM initially canceled the Malibu after the 1983 model year, before bringing it back in 1997, as a midsize front-wheel drive car rather than a rear-wheel drive model like the A-Body and G-Body models were.
We’ll have to wait and see whether General Motors ultimately does bring a new Chevy Malibu into existence. Much like its American counterparts and the Subaru Legacy sedan, which is also bowing out after the 2025 model year, I wouldn’t hold my breath given the explosive demand for SUVs.
