Report: Chevrolet Malibu To Die In 2024
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There’s one standard sedan that didn’t meet the chopping block in General Motors’ North American restructuring plan: the Chevrolet Malibu.
In fact, it seems the mid-size sedan will soldier on for five more years. After that, it’s supposedly lights out for the model. Automotive News (subscription required) reported Sunday in its “Future Product Pipeline” feature that Chevrolet’s long-running sedan will run out of fuel in 2024.
Sales of the Malibu have continued to slide despite a refresh for the 2019 model year. The publication’s sourced claim the sedan will now stick around until 2024 at least. At that point, production is expected to end. Right now, the Malibu is built in Fairfax, Kansas. The plant also builds the Cadillac XT4 crossover, which should help shield some pain from losing a vehicle on the production line in the future. That doesn’t include any possible investments or new vehicles that could be built at the plant.
Interestingly, AN claims the Malibu may have an indirect successor of some sort. The replacement for the Malibu is said to be an electric vehicle. GM has plans for 20 new electric cars by 2023, and this rumored electric successor does fit with the corporate timeline. No further details on the electric vehicle were provided in the report.
Ahead of its proposed death, which we have every reason to believe is legitimate, the Malibu may get one more freshening in 2022.
GM cut numerous passenger cars from its portfolio as part of a 2018 restructuring. So far, the Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet Volt, Cruze, and Impala have died and or will die soon. Save for some Cadillac sedans, the Malibu was an odd man out that survived the corporate ax wielding. Now, it appears it won’t be long before Chevrolet is without a sedan.
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Source: Automotive News (subscription required)
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An electrified sedan replacement would make sense. Carmakers can’t totally abandon the sedan market. Offering one electric sedan would serve the market just enough. Size it between the Malibu and Impala, and keep it affordable.
Hi I really like my 2018 Malibu
I upgraded my vehicle and made a list of everything I bought from eBay and Amazon
https://www.caesarvr.com/news-since-2013/all-accessories-for-chevrolet-malibu-amit-caesar-writing-a-hobby
Too expensive, too many design eccentricities, and a bit small. I’ve wanted to want one, but can’t! I really wanted an Impala sized Volt. I’m not looking forward to the no car future.
I own the 2016 Premier and love it. I have two girls in Travel Softball and while we could use some more room it does fit a small ice chest, 2 rocker chairs, Folding wagon, 2 stadium chairs, 2 large Softball bags, bats and still has room left. I am 6’3″, my girls are 5’8″ and my wife id 5’3″. We have even had my 6’1″ son come with us on occasion. So the car is not small by any measure. It also has close to 300HP and gets 30+ MPG. It is a great car that I think people dont really realize is as good as it is.
The reason people don’t realize its as good as it is,is because GM won’t tell them how good it is. That being said it could use some improvements and upgrades. But it’s not an SUV and GM will ignore it.
GM’s marketing of this car has been deliberately woeful and abysmal.
That sucks
The new Malaise era continues in full force!
What’s going to happen is that GM will stop building cars, except for the Corvette, and be outsold by the foreign automakers. I won’t be surprised to see GM back in the same situation they were in 10 years ago.
My friend was just telling me that he thinks they’ll be out of business in 10 years. Maybe.
With the clowns they have running it now it may be sooner than that.
I spent the day driving a WT trim of the new Silverado. I agree.
I love my 19 1500 LD, but had I not been able to buy the last gen model, I would be driving an F150 right now.
If the corvette is all they sell, there won’t be any GM!
These headlines are either about discounting trucks or cancelling cars.
Sounds like a recipe for success.
Every time I see a Honda Accord or A Toyota Camry I can’t for the life of me see why GM thinks killing off it’s cars is a good idea. I cannot see giving away market share like they have for the past, really 20 years. I am so disappointed in what GM has become.
Sadly, they are following in the footsteps of Ford. What we are witnessing is the beginning of the end of the American auto industry.
Toyota and Honda advertise, and in other ways, promote what they are offering for sale. GM tells us about the awards they win.
The days of Dinah Shore urging us to see the USA in our Chevrolet are long gone It was an ad campaign that worked, as was “Like a Rock” for the trucks. Updated campaigns showing the cars and trucks as something one wants to own are badly in need of being made and distributed.
Chevy Guy, I agree 100% I have a 2015 Impala LT2 the best GM vehicle I’ve ever owned. Its won many awards and GM doesn’t use to Advertise Kelly Blue Best buy award 4 years in a row plus safety awards. My dealer doesn’t have a new one on his lot.
GM has become nothing but a truck market!
I have a 28th teen Malibu when I love it I get anywhere from 27 mpg to 31 mpg in the city depending on weather and traffic and up to 39 mpg on the highway… I would hate to see this car die because I don’t want to drive an SUV and I really don’t want an electric car, not yet anyway
Then, do what the rest of the American sedan-buying public does: drive past the Ford and Chevy agencies, and find your Toyota, Honda, Subaru, Nissan, Volvo, Kia, or Hyundai dealer.
EXACTLY!
Yup, I agree, at least a good number of those you named are made in the U.S.A. Honda – Lincoln, AL; Hyundai – Montgomery, AL; Kia – West point, GA; just to name a few.
2018 malibu
Hoping an Alpha sedan will replace this and Regal.
Fat chance! I think Buick is on its way out in the U.S.
Not with all the CUVs Buick selling, plus the Chinese would stop buying if they know that Buick isn’t available in the US anymore. One US sedan won’t hurt.
I don’t know about that, but sadly the U.S. has been on its way out of Buick for some time now.
I guess you thumbs downers know about more US built Buicks than I do.
It looks like they still build the Enclave in Lansing. But that’s it. I’m pretty sure everything else is imported.
Ken
I think the moon is made out of green cheese.
I hate this.. but I just read some where kids today are not wanting a suv or crossover.. my two teens want
More personal cars and while they see a point of a SUV they put the SUV as my generation did with station wagons and my oldest son does with minivans
As far as electric goes what’s the point.. every brand has its own charging system in which you
Must seek out your cars super charger. Plus until this year we rented and moved around every few years .. so if you rent how do you charge your car??? Plus once all cars are electric where are the battery’s coming from???’ I’m not sold battery powered electric is the future! I think it will still or still is striping the earth
And makes less sense in the real world for the general population until charging becomes a standard between brands like the way you fuel cars today.
John Gregg
Only 2 Charging networks in the U.S.
1. Tesla
2. Everyone Else
Stupid on GMs part. My 2015 Malibu is our favorite vehicle, and we prefer it over the wife’s X5.
There will always be a place for the mid/full size sedan, and until they can get a decent crossover with similar MPG, it’s wrong to kill them. And electric may work for most, but some of us routinely travel well over the range of an electric car in the course of a day, so we still need to be able to fill up and keep driving quickly.
Dale: Re your comment: “but some of us routinely travel well over the range of an electric car in the course of a day, so we still need to be able to fill up and keep driving quickly”.
That’s why the Volt was invented! It gives you the best of both worlds. And because of it’s eminently usable electric range you will probably find it’s an electric car 95% of the time (we did). Too bad Mary Barra never understood or marketed that unique industry leading feature.
I only disagree with one point of yours, and that is claiming GM didn’t understand the Volt or market it properly. They understood just fine, the problem was that the car cost too much for what it was.
People are not going to pay a massive premium for what is basically an economy car.
Nate: You are making my point; they (GM management) did not understand the Voltec technological excellence, hence they could not effectively market it. First the “premium” was not massive, but more importantly, it was not “basically an economy car”, but a market leading EREV whose value was well above hybrid or PHEV types like the Prius that the media insisted on comparing it to. Also, there was no inherent reason it should have been any more expensive than the BEV cars that it could have competed against (read Tesla or even the Bolt). It’s increased utility, properly marketed, could have demanded a higher price ( even without the government rebate) at least until economies of scale from increased sales and advances in battery technology brought the cost down.
Perhaps some at Cadillac realized that it could have competed with the Tesla when they priced the Voltec/Cadillac ELR up at the Tesla level, but to my knowledge the ELR was never effectively marketed as a useful Tesla alternative; personnel at the Cadillac/Chevrolet dealer that I bought my Volt from did not even seem to know what the ELR was.
The thing is your thinking about EV’s today. This is 5 years from now. Looking at the current growth in EV technology It would not surprise me that vehicle might have 400 miles of range, charge to 80% in 15 minutes and have a cost that is comparable to a gas powered vehicle.
I’ve been driving a ’19 Malibu LS loaner for almost a month while my vehicle remains in the shop. I really like it…except for the stop-start technology you cant easily turn off. I’ve liked it so much I’ve shopped around on line and a couple of dealers as well. The problem is the features I want force you into the Premier model which at over $36k is more than I’m willing to pay for a midsized Chevy and it also has features I dont want or need like leather and a moonroof and requires premium gas. The LT is the compromise I suppose but the standard wheels on it look “rental car” level and the tailend lacks any flash. I like the look of the RS but again you can’t get the optional features like heated seats and dual-zone AC on it. Every version is a frustating compromise…
I have the Premier Trim. Its 2.0 liter Turbo gets great gas mileage while having very good power and no stop start nonsense. You can find a used Premier for far less than 36K. I got my 2016 last year with 20K miles on it for 20K with a 100K mile warranty.
UBloMe-I just leased another 2020 Chevrolet Malibu premier model on September 19, 2019 to replace my 2016 Malibu premier. It took me four months to get this car and no one knows why. The dealer had no clue and couldn’t get any information. Chevrolet.com had no clue the million times I called them! Couldn’t find a telephone number to call GM corporate in Detroit so, I finally looked up the factory, called there directly and got someone who really does their job at General Motors who then called her Friend in the order department and my car was built two days later! The car was originally ordered in May and went on the GM computer June 16 I believe and then just sat there and then finally there. was a build date of September 30. In the meantime, my six-month extension on my previous lease was coming to an end because I was already in the fourth month of my extension. If I didn’t call I most likely still would not have the car because then General Motors went on strike! I was extremely disappointed in my new lease payment which is almost $200 more than my previous lease for basically the same exact car with the same exact options! For what this lease is costing me I likely could’ve bought a Cadillac SUV according to the commercials I see on TV or even a Lexus or Mercedes, but I loved my 2016 Malibu and I wanted another one in the same red color only this one has what’s called a tan interior but I call it white and I absolutely love it. When this lease is up in three years I don’t know what I’m going to do because I don’t need an SUV I already have one. At the rate the GM is going there probably won’t be any more cars to lease so most likely Toyota will be my next choice. ????
GM is making a mistake by dumping the Malibu. Dealer after dealer have tried to dump me ino a crossover, SUV or truck. I am a loyal Chevy fan but I don’t like being force to buy something not my style. Maybe its time time to switch models.
This is not a GM issue, this is not a Malibu issue, this is a sedan issue.
Even the big names are in decline on sales and cutting production. If this continues they too will consider a similar move.
Even cars as good as the Lacrosse have few buyers and are killer deals for what you get yet they are dying on the lot.
Automakers have limited amounts they can spend today and if given a model that sells 300k in its vs 150k they will invest in the greater number that is growing per year.
I am a Malibu owner and I love the car. But I also understand where the market is at and unless the market changes cars will be a tough buy at lower prices. Only those with global models will have any chance.
So the Malibu along with the majority of GM’s sedans will die because of their short sightnes of not developing world market vehicles. It’s a shame for whatever the reasons are.
Scott 3 it might help if they gave some of those thousands of dollars off like they are offering on the SUVs and put it on some of their cars they might be selling more cars? Just a thought that happened to pass my little pea brain.
All I can say is WTF!!! Just read that headline again. I did and the entire article and then all the comments about the article. Here’s what really gets me about it.
“Report: Chevrolet Malibu to die in 2024”
And we are in………..2019! That is, as the article pointed out, 5 years away. So not only does GM never advertise this car (that I see), but they now decide to become the grim reaper to the car 5 years out? Why don’t they just shut up and NEVER ever leak anything about it? How do they expect to sell them with no advertising along with telling people that the car is going to die. Then for the next 5 years they will complain that it’s not selling well enough to keep it around. Isn’t this kind of like cutting off your nose in spite of your face?
I don’t feel like GM has a product problem. They don’t have a quality problem. They don’t have production issues. No, what GM has is a total nightmare issue with PR and doing/saying stupid stuff that kills good product. **End of rant**
Dan Berning: Or is it that GM has an Upper Management problem? Perhaps, cynically, GM management is looking for justification in its plan to produce short term profit (and stock appreciation) by long term liquidation of a once great company? Might explain some of the seemingly stupid things they seem to do.
I could not agree more with your synopsis of the situation. GM has done everything to kill a good mid sized car, “The Malibu”, and as you say; GM leaking the information that Malibu is going to go away in five years is just going to exasperate its demise. Additionally, with no advertising aimed directly at the Malibu, extolling its virtues will make its demise almost a certain, and they will be lucky to keep it around another five years, as Toyota, Honda and the likes are still strongly marketing their bigger sedans, as well as their smaller sedans such as the Toyota, Camry and the Corolla, and the Honda Accord and Civic as you can hardly turn on the Television, without seeing a Toyota or Honda advertisement aimed at their sedans. So GM why are you caving in & rolling over and giving up market share to a market that is still there but simply needs to marketed to correctly. Additionally from what I have seen of some of the other comments, GM should allow any piece of optional equipment on any of their Sedan lines and also allow the customer to delete any option from a GM sedan, that they do not care for. Not everybody likes leather interiors, (my self included), but with some of the upgrade packages that give you other options which I want, you have to allegedly have leather seats included. GM make your option packages you sell more flexible, so that you don’t lose market share, for those of us who do not appreciate certain option upgrades, or those of us who want certain option upgrades but don’t want to upgrade to a particular level of higher priced Sedan. The customer is KING and when you realize this you have half of the battle won already. These are simple and straight forward concepts, but instead of giving them a longer term tryout, GM seems to be turning over and caving in and trimming their line to the higher grossing SUVs and Crossovers, which not everyone wants or needs. GM shame on you for you short sighted thinking, as I have to agree with one of the others in this electronic conversation, that this short sighted thinking may mean the beginning of the end for GM, as once your business model is to give up market share so easily, you will eventually have so few vehicles in your portfolio, that you will no longer be able to stay in business. I sincerely hope someone at GM actually reads these important revues from average Americans regarding their recent business decisions, and better yet takes them seriously.
Funny, being a life long Ford Guy of 67 years of age, I never ever intended on buying a Chevrolet but I did. A Beautiful Blue Velvet 2018 Chevrolet Malibu LT with Sunroof and an incredible enfotainment center after renting one on a trip from Louisville, Ky to north of Syracuse, Ny. Getting 550 miles out of a 13 gallon tank was impressive. I decided against buying a Ford Fusion after Ford decided to pull the plug on it and other sedans. Sweated it out when GM discontinued the Impala. And now this news isn’t what American car buyers want to hear. GM screwed Corvette owners with coming out with a mid engine car that likely will kill the previous Corvette market. Screwed the Camaro resale value by killing it off….twice now.
another dumbass decision buy GM
Honestly if this is replaced by an EV mid-sized sedan than this makes sense to me.
By 2024 (5 years from now) this “Malibu EV” will likely have about 400 miles of range. Be able to DC fast charge to 80% in 15 minutes and likely be cost comparable to a similar gasoline vehicle. Plus this vehicle will be less expensive to operate and perform better. And looking at charging infrastructure the build out in the last 6 months alone has been amazing. I can drive cross-country in a Bolt EV today with multiple options. Just imagine what we will be able to do 5 years from now. So honestly having a gas Malibu after 2024 just won’t make any sense by then.
Just wow GM ! Declining sales cause the car is never marketed , added a horrible cvt to the line up should’ve had the 9 speed on all trims with a small price increase & that 2.0T should be available on the LT & most of all Saftey features like wait Toyota & Honda have should be STANDARD ..