Posted on 05/10/2024 10:46:50 AM PDT by Libloather
CNN — The Chevrolet Malibu, the last sedan still sold by General Motors’ biggest selling brand, will end production this year, the company announced.
Malibu production will end in November as the factory that builds it, the Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Kansas, is reconfigured to build a new generation of the Chevrolet Bolt EV.
With the Malibu’s demise, General Motors’ mainstream Chevrolet brand will sell only trucks, SUVs, and the Corvette, a two-seat sports car, in the United States.
Chevy’s close competitor, Ford, made a similar move years ago when it stopped selling the Taurus and Fusion sedans, leaving the two-door Mustang as the only traditional car in its line-up. Chevrolet stopped making its Mustang competitor, the Camaro, last year.
Chevy’s close competitor, Ford, made a similar move years ago when it stopped selling the Taurus and Fusion sedans, leaving the two-door Mustang as the only traditional car in its line-up. Chevrolet stopped making its Mustang competitor, the Camaro, last year.
Traditional cars – vehicles that are not SUVs, trucks or vans – make up less than 20% of US auto sales, according to Cox Automotive. The last generation of the Malibu was first introduced in 2016, making it much older than competitors such as the relatively popular Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. A new version of the Camry, now available only as a hybrid, just went into production. Still, GM sold more than 130,000 Malibus last year, a 13% increase from the year before.
Last year, the Malibu was sold mostly to fleet operators, such as rental car companies, according to Cox Automotive. In any given month of 2023, more than half of Malibus were sold to fleets and, in some months, it was nearly 75%, Cox spokesman Mark Schirmer said in an email.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
I got the impression only rental fleets bought those things.
“the Malibu was sold mostly to fleet operators, such as rental car companies”
What I gathered.
No one else wants a POS
Part of the reason for the demise of sedans is that engines have gotten smaller and are mounted crosswise, so the front projection for the engine gets smaller and you evolve to a small suv, which is really a reshaped sedan. Also, the suv has a full-height or almost full-height trunk if you want to look at that way.
Enjoyed my Malibu, enjoyed my Monte even more and my Impala even more.
WOW, how the mighty have fallen, Chevy can’t even make a car anymore.
Going from 7.2 to 7.1 years took almost 5 years
And I see you are Calculating only 6.71 left now
Which is a big drop from the 7.1 only a few months ago
I’m scared
I find it funny the news comes from Cox Automotive. But you gotta be into punk rock movies to get that joke.
My 61 y/o lady friend had a 60’s/early 70’s convertible. All the young guys hit her up asking if she wanted to sell it. Like her it got old. She finally started looking up and down the young men and suggested ‘perhaps we can work something out!’
If cougars with a little money were smarter they’d all buy one in need of a paint job.
Replace the ceiling mirrors in their bedroom wit a stock market ticker.
Malibu sales up 13% so let’s dump it for EVs that are stacking up everywhere. Meanwhile, we just bought a brand new 2024 Camry that is a great car and we love it.
My dad has a nice 74 Pontiac Gran Ville a few years ago from an estate sale.
Overall really good condition. Somebody did a fair amount of restoration work. It came with the original owners manual.
Nice sounding 455 w 4bbl. He wants to sell it. Lost interest.
Not my style of car and too big for my street.
Fun to drive.
I own a ‘57 Bel Air 2-door hard-top semi-hotrod. Also, a ‘50 Chevy 4-door Deluxe. But, I am never going to be G.M. fan again after Obama talked GM into screwing their bond-holders in favor of cushy positions for their Exec’s, UAW leaders and members.
SUV’s are classified as small trucks, which also puts them in a different category for CAFE fuel efficiency rules.
Okay, I am going to defend Chevy for the first time since 1974. When they started making crap.
The Malibu was maybe the best vehicle they made. It was rated very highly by Consumer Reports. So, what do they do. Stop making it.
The problem is they probably do not make much on this automobile.
The only other Chevy i would ever consider buying today was the rear engine Corvette.
I have had three Toyota Tacomas and a Lexus SC400. Prior to that a couple Volvo 240DLs. My wife has been all Hondas.
The truth is if you are old or unlithe, it is hard to get into and out of a car like the Malibu/Camry/Accord..too low to get into/drive/see out of. Easier to get into an taller SUV.
I rented them and thought them decent for the money price wise
Everyone today drives an SUV or crossover mostly
I agree I liked them
Rented a half dozen and found them plush and quick and solid and much cheaper than oriental or euro lux cars
True but at six five
I’ve learned it’s the interior well more than height off the ground up to a point
My first car was an MGBGT
1973
Hard to fold into but the pedals were way up past the console and drive box way under the dash
I could stretch out and the center four speed knob was right at your roost
Had an ‘08 Malibu with a 3.6L V6. It was a decent car with a decent engine. The current Malibu is underpowered with a 1.5L four-banger. That’s part of GM’s problem. They used to be the leader in powerful, fast cars for the common man. Now, other than a handful of high-end specialty products like the Corvette and the Cadillac V series, GM is consistently behind the competition in terms of power and speed. They’re all about EVs... and to the extent that they’re still addressing the ICE market, they’re more likely to brag about MPGs instead of HP & torque and 0-60.
We bought a used Chevy Cruze for my daughter. I only bought it because I knew the family who owned it, and it was a bargain. No major issues with it, but my daughter hates it.
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