The Chevrolet Malibu, the last sedan sold by General Motors’ biggest brand, will cease production this year. The Malibu’s production will end in November as the Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Kansas, where it is built, is reconfigured to produce a new generation of the Chevrolet Bolt EV. This means that General Motors’ mainstream Chevrolet brand will now only sell trucks, SUVs, and the Corvette sports car in the United States.
The decision to stop selling sedans is a trend that has been happening for years in the automotive industry. Ford made a similar decision years ago when it stopped selling the Taurus and Fusion sedans, leaving the Mustang as the only traditional car in its lineup. Last year, Chevrolet also stopped producing its Mustang competitor, the Camaro. Traditional cars make up less than 20% of US auto sales according to Cox Automotive.
Despite being older than popular competitors like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, GM sold over 130,000 units of Malibu last year which was a 13% increase from the year before. First introduced in 1960s as a more luxurious version of Chevrolet 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.
