Chevrolet, the biggest brand of General Motors, has announced that it will stop producing the Malibu sedan this year. The last sedan sold by the company’s biggest brand, 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.
Ford made a similar decision years ago when it stopped selling the Taurus and Fusion sedans, leaving the Mustang as its only traditional car in its lineup. Last year, Chevrolet also stopped producing its Mustang competitor, the Camaro. Despite being older than popular competitors like Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, GM sold over 130,000 units of Malibu last year with a 13% increase from the previous year.
Traditional cars make up less than 20% of US auto sales according to Cox Automotive. First introduced in 1967 as a more luxurious version of Chevelle known as Chevelle Malibu, which became its own distinct model by 1970s and ceased production in 1983 before being reintroduced again in 1997 until present day.
