Adieu, Chevrolet Malibu
As of November of this year, the Chevrolet Malibu is officially dead.
GM representative Kevin Kelly confirmed that the sedan has been discontinued because Chevy needs to retool the plant that builds it, in Fairfax, Kansas, to build the new, Ultium-based Bolt EV. Production of the other GM vehicle built by at Fairfax Assembly, the Cadillac XT4 crossover, will be paused two months later, in January 2025. Chevrolet doesn’t say for how long, but it does admit that there will be layoffs among the 2230 employees, and that those affected will be provided for under the UAW-GM agreement.
The changeover to Bolt production is part of a $390 million investment, less than half (accounting for inflation) of what GM spent in 2014 to add a new paint shop and stamping press, changes that supported the production ramp up of the now-defunct-in-the-U.S. Buick Lacrosse. Sales of that sedan paled in comparison to those of the Malibu, that modern fleet staple, of which Chevrolet has sold over 10 million units globally since 1964. (Yes, the company counts the years that Malibu denoted a trim level, not a car.)
Sedan sales have long been waning, and last year Chevrolet sold 130K Malibus—a decent number on its face but far below the last peak figure of roughly 228K in 2016. Many of those were fleet sales, an ignominious end to a nameplate once fondly remembered as a trim package on Chevelles and subsequently as competent if not scintillating transportation.
CAFE standards may also have played into the decision: Even though the 2023 Malibu is more fuel efficient (30 mpg combined) than the XT4 with which it shares an assembly plant (26 front-wheel drive or 24 for all-wheel drive), the new Bolt doesn’t consume gas and the XT4’s lower sales volume means that it’s not as much of a contributor to the average mpg rating for GM’s passenger cars and light trucks.
There’s no word whether the name will re-emerge, so for now at least, it’s farewell, Malibu. If you’d like to dwell on Malibus past, we’ve got you covered. Here, our design-savvy Sajeev Mehta analyzes the surprisingly handsome 2023 model. Here, one of our members tells the story of an ’81 Malibu that was an Iraqi Taxi … we won’t give any spoilers. If you remember when Malibu denoted a trim level, not a model, you’ll probably enjoy this article by our own Tom Klockau on an SS454 wagon.
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Loved the Chevelle had a 08 Bu and it was ok but these cars just don’t sell in volume like they used to and the money is not made unless they are sold globally.
Not sure the Bolt will do much unless they get the price down and really make the next one a car people really want if they are looking for an EV as I see few converts.
My Bu was a good car but it could haul little in the truck as the opening was small. We moved up to a Blazer so my son can haul more of his stuff around.
What is a “Bu”?
Short for Malibu, as in Mali”Bu”.
Yeah, like LA – short for Impala, TA – short for Dakota, ON – short for Veyron, and NK – short for M1A1 Abrams Battle Tank. Get with the program, Gearhyde! 😉
Those aren’t abbreviations, those are speech impediments.
Malibu once conjured up thoughts of sportiness and fun – especially for anyone who knew what that section of California coast represented in the days when the name first appeared on Chevys. Not only has the image of that community changed (to big bucks and private beaches, mostly), but the image of the car has changed as well. It’s not a negative image, to be sure, but it’s certainly not one of excitement either. I have a granddaughter who has a 2011, and it’s looked upon as dependable transportation to get her to her college campus (about a 2-hour drive) and home again when she has a break. Hardly a close cousin to my friend’s ’67 with a 383 stroker and 4-speed.
FYI I grew up in Dads Chevelle Malibus from 67-73. One for each year. They were not just the family car but also the family van and truck. We hauled up to six people at a time and many times there was bags of cement or a ten speed in the trunk and sheets of plywood tied to the roof.
If I tied one panel to the roof of the 08 it would have left a perinate dent.
The link to Tom’s article does not work…..
Updated, thank you, Helen. the link points here.
Yea…nice to see you again…oh,.definitely… soon…. for sure… so long…take care…goodbye…’Who was that?’
I have a 68 Chevelle Malibu convertible (been in the family since 71). Lost count as to many people tell me it’s a Malibu, not a Chevelle. Now no more Chevelles or Malibu’s.
I’m not sad that this car is going away but still walking away from 130k sales is something. I assume they think everyone will do a crossover but many will not.
Gary it is not just how many you sell but how much you make.
If you sell on rebates and only in North America the profits are not much. Honda sells an Accord globally and make it up on Volume.
Keep in mind 130k pales to the 500k they sold years ago as a Chevelle.
The turbo 3 cylinder Trax doesn’t instill confidence.
Ford and GM have walked away from the sedan market, rather than aggressively lobby for more reasonable rules. PHEV tech is solid and worth the investment. Especially in a large sedan.
GMNA Truck Group President said at a church social that a V8 RWD sedan couldn’t be built and sold profitably. Diamler-Chrysler/Chrysler LLC/Magna/Stellantis proved them wrong.
Yet somehow Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai/Kia still successfully sell both small and mid-size sedans in big numbers. CAFE may play a part in it, but if you can make hybrid and EV SUVs meet the numbers you can certainly make sedans do it. I think it comes down to this: once the huge-selling Ford Taurus started losing sales to the increasingly better Accords and Camrys, the writing was on the wall. Then came the bigger-profit Explorer, and sedans and wagons were suddenly old news. Only the import brands knew how to do it right.
Postscript: I love my CR-V, but if Honda brought back the Accord wagon I’d switch in a heartbeat.
GM is doubling down on EVs.
If they don’t sell (aided by taxpayer subsidies), no problem, they’ll just get another bailout like 2008.
With their union clout, they are “too big to fail”.
But if course, the money isn’t the government’s, they got it from taxpayers who make too much to get freebees, but not enough to take advantage of the tax loopholes.
Adios Malibu! My 03 was a rusty, beat up pile. But it had the 3.0L V6 and could scoot! Best car I ever owned for driving into and around Boston. I drove it as if I had nothing to lose and the car looked the part. It was a really fun car.
Oh, boo-hoo!
The Malibu arrived just as AMC and Studebaker were getting serious about going upscale a bit with “richer” Ambassadors and Cruisers. But the Malibu (and GM derivatives) took that perceived nitch out of serious play for them – even more than the new Ford Fairlane and Merc Comet, which did the same for the lower models of the remaining two independents.
The lower Stude models were generally better cars than the Chevy ll (with the exception of some weakness in Studes OHV six – if you didn’t adhere to service requirements) . l blame the arrival of the Malibu (and it’s GM “cousins) for the upper ’64 Stude “lark-type” models not doing as well as hoped – and one of the many reasons for the South Bend plant closing.
To the closing of the South Bend plant, I would also reply, “Oh, boo-hoo”. ;<)
I have worked in the Fairfax plant over the last fifteen years. The Buick LaCrosse, Pontiac Grand Prix and Malibu were the staples of our production. Seeing the success of the electric Cadillac in Spring Hill does not provide much hope that it will provide 3 shifts of production like the Chevrolet Malibu. Great people work here. We need a great product.
Who did you vote for? Because it matters.
I used to tell my fellow brothers and sisters this when New Holland bought Case-IH, a decade later the plant was closed and production moved to Nebraska.
My DD is a 2010 LT with the 2.4 Ecotec. For cost to own, it about the best car I have owned, which is over 100 at this point. Always reliable, and has never failed me, well until today sort of. It developed a noise on the passenger front corner of the engine over the past few days, I suspected a pully. Just as I pulled into work this morning, the belt broke, luckily I work at a Napa store, so grabbed a new tensioner, serpentine belt, and threw in some plugs while I was at it. At 177,000 kilometers, it’s really the first expense in over 5 years. I put front struts and brakes in it back then at 154000 kilometers. I have thought about moving into a newer model, but I’m not really a fan of the small engine that is in them now. I will drive this one into ground.
GM headed down the wrong path as usual, SUV`s ( or box`s on wheels ) won`t last forever as they are more costly to attain and operate. Funny how the foreign vehicle sedans are selling well. To each his own.
TOTAL failure of GM to not be able to compete with Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Kia, and Hyundai. Unbelievable that the only car Chevrolet will have to sell is the Corvette. Putting all their money no EV’s is a disaster unfolding right in front of our eyes.