GM Is Shutting Down the Chevy Malibu After 60 Years
General Motors is saying goodbye to the Chevrolet Malibu.
After selling more than 10 million Chevy Malibu cars worldwide over several decades, the automaker said Wednesday it would stop making the sedan in November.
GM said the decision will make room in its Kansas City, Kan., plant for its approximately $390 million investment in an updated Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle. GM shut down its Chevrolet Bolt line in April 2023, then said in July it would reintroduce it.
The retooling of the Kansas plant is part of GM’s bet on EVs, a driving force at the company in recent years. Under the leadership of CEO Mary Barra, GM went all-in on EVs, largely bypassing hybrid models. But the company has faced manufacturing delays, technical obstacles and, recently, weaker-than-expected EV demand, an industry-wide issue.
GM said last month it is on track to produce 200,000 to 300,000 EVs in North America this year.
The carmaker also said it would pause production of the Cadillac XT4, a gas-powered model, at the Kansas plant after January 2025. When production restarts in late 2025, the factory will produce the Bolt and the XT4, which GM said would give it “flexibility to respond to changes in consumer demand.”
The Malibu’s exit leaves the Corvette as the last gas-powered Chevrolet car. GM announced last year it would shut down production of the Camaro in 2024.
The Malibu has gone in and out of vogue for decades. After introducing it in 1964, GM phased the Malibu out in the early 1980s, in part to intensify its focus on the truck market.
Chevy reintroduced the Malibu in 1997, with hopes that the front-wheel-drive sedan—an image overhaul from the rear-drive muscle car of the 1960s and 1970s—would dominate the midsize market. It faced tepid reviews, and was compared unfavorably with competitors such as the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.
The Malibu once again underwent renovations in the early 2000s. The carmaker said it came with an improved ride and a quieter interior, giving it a more international feel on the outside and an inside reminiscent of 1960s American style. The remake drew high praise, and President Barack Obama in 2009 touted the redesigned Malibu as evidence that GM was making higher-quality cars.
GM produced nine generations of the Malibu in total. The 60’s-era car has been a fixture in pop culture, appearing in films such as “Pulp Fiction” and “Repo Man.” But in recent years, the company has struggled to make it fashionable as consumers shifted away from cars to crossovers and sport-utility vehicles.
Write to Joseph De Avila at [email protected] and Suryatapa Bhattacharya at [email protected]