Even Being One of Chevy’s Best-Selling Models Couldn’t Save the Malibu

Chevrolet is suspending production of the Malibu—its last sedan standing—in order to retool the assembly plant that currently makes the four-door and clear the way for the upcoming Chevy Bolt. On the surface, this seems like another blow to the sedan segment, which has been on the decline for the last decade or so as full-size trucks and SUVs overtook them in popularity in the U.S. But the death of the Malibu comes despite the sedan having sold over 130,000 examples in 2023, as Automotive News reports.

While the Malibu's sales numbers are not what they once were—and a fair number of them probably go to rental lots—the sedan was nonetheless moving relatively well, sitting as the third best-performing nameplate behind only the Equinox and Silverado over the Bowtie's last calendar year. Malibu sales peaked in 2016, when Chevy moved in excess of 227,000 units of the four-door. Last year's decline of about 97,000 compared to the peak year in the mid-2010s did not bode well for the model, but the sedan managed to actually increase sales in 2023 compared to 2022, when Chevy sold slightly over 115,000 of them. So what gives?

It would make much more sense for Chevy to kill the Malibu if it had been selling as poorly as the recently deposed Subaru Legacy, which saw about 25,500 in sales for 2023. Why would Chevy leave any of those sales on the table?

The carmaker's official statement is that it's for the sake of the new Bolt. Per GM:

As previously announced, GM is investing approximately $390 million in our Fairfax Assembly Plant for production of the new, Ultium-based Chevrolet Bolt EV to deliver one of the most affordable all-electric vehicles with an improved driving, charging and ownership experience. 

To facilitate the installation of tooling and other plant modifications, after nine-generations and over 10 million global sales, GM will end production of the Chevrolet Malibu in November 2024 and pause production of the Cadillac XT4 after January 2025. This will result in a layoff until production resumes for affected employees. Affected employees will be supported according to the provisions of the UAW-GM agreement. 

When production resumes in late 2025, Fairfax