Chevy Malibu sales during the second quarter of 2020 decreased in all markets tracked by GM Authority, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, and South Korea.
Chevrolet Malibu Sales - Q2 2020 - United States
In the United States, Chevrolet Malibu deliveries totaled 12,661 units in Q2 2020, a decrease of about 59 percent compared to 30,974 units sold in Q2 2019.In the first six months of the year, Malibu sales decreased about 26 percent to 47,944 units.
| MODEL | Q2 2020 / Q2 2019 | Q2 2020 | Q2 2019 | YTD 2020 / YTD 2019 | YTD 2020 | YTD 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MALIBU | -59.12% | 12,661 | 30,974 | -26.43% | 47,944 | 65,171 |
Chevrolet Malibu Sales - Q2 2020 - Canada
In Canada, Chevrolet Malibu deliveries totaled 630 units in Q2 2020, a decrease of about 70 percent compared to 2,097 units sold in Q2 2019.In the first six months of the year, Malibu sales decreased about 51 percent to 1,441 units.
| MODEL | Q2 2020 / Q2 2019 | Q2 2020 | Q2 2019 | YTD 2020 / YTD 2019 | YTD 2020 | YTD 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MALIBU | -69.96% | 630 | 2,097 | -51.15% | 1,441 | 2,950 |
Chevrolet Malibu Sales - Q2 2020 - South Korea
In South Korea, Chevrolet Malibu deliveries totaled 2,541 units in Q2 2020, a decrease of about 27 percent compared to 3,478 units sold in Q2 2019.In the first six months of the year, Malibu sales decreased about 45 percent to 3,750 units.
| MODEL | Q2 2020 / Q2 2019 | Q2 2020 | Q2 2019 | YTD 2020 / YTD 2019 | YTD 2020 | YTD 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MALIBU | -26.94% | 2,541 | 3,478 | -45.26% | 3,750 | 6,851 |
Chevrolet Malibu Sales - Q2 2020 - Mexico
In Mexico, Chevrolet Malibu deliveries totaled 0 units in Q2 2020, a decrease of about 100 percent compared to 56 units sold in Q2 2019.In the first six months of the year, Malibu sales decreased about 96 percent to 5 units.
| MODEL | Q2 2020 / Q2 2019 | Q2 2020 | Q2 2019 | YTD 2020 / YTD 2019 | YTD 2020 | YTD 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MALIBU | -100.00% | 0 | 56 | -96.06% | 5 | 127 |
Competitive Sales Comparison
Chevy Malibu sales fell to seventh place out of a total of ten models in the segment. The Chevrolet was outsold by the Toyota Camry in first place, Honda Accord in second, the recently-discontinued Ford Fusion in third (see Ford Fusion sales), Nissan Altima in fourth, Kia Optima in fifth, and the Hyundai Sonata in sixth. The Malibu outsold only three remaining models – the Subaru Legacy, Volkswagen Passat (see VW Passat sales), and Mazda6 (see Mazda6 sales).
Sales Numbers - Midsize Mainstream Sedans - Q2 2020 - United States
| MODEL | Q2 20 / Q2 19 | Q2 20 | Q2 19 | Q2 20 SHARE | Q2 19 SHARE | YTD 20 / YTD 19 | YTD 20 | YTD 19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOYOTA CAMRY | -48.36% | 48,711 | 94,324 | 25% | 25% | -28.47% | 125,899 | 176,008 |
| HONDA ACCORD | -35.98% | 41,629 | 65,024 | 21% | 17% | -31.43% | 88,754 | 129,435 |
| FORD FUSION | -55.21% | 24,484 | 54,668 | 13% | 15% | -36.25% | 61,421 | 96,351 |
| NISSAN ALTIMA | -62.12% | 21,702 | 57,297 | 11% | 15% | -36.52% | 69,049 | 108,777 |
| KIA OPTIMA | -33.53% | 18,480 | 27,801 | 9% | 7% | -23.07% | 38,825 | 50,469 |
| HYUNDAI SONATA | -42.66% | 14,687 | 25,612 | 8% | 7% | -35.74% | 30,289 | 47,132 |
| CHEVROLET MALIBU | -59.12% | 12,661 | 30,974 | 6% | 8% | -26.43% | 47,944 | 65,171 |
| SUBARU LEGACY | -41.72% | 5,366 | 9,207 | 3% | 2% | -31.71% | 11,901 | 17,426 |
| VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT | +11.41% | 4,120 | 3,698 | 2% | 1% | -11.83% | 10,101 | 11,456 |
| MAZDA MAZDA6 | -41.84% | 3,579 | 6,154 | 2% | 2% | -38.16% | 8,085 | 13,075 |
| CHRYSLER 200 | -100.00% | 0 | 9 | 0% | 0% | -91.43% | 3 | 35 |
| TOTAL | -47.86% | 195,419 | 374,768 | -31.18% | 492,271 | 715,335 |
From a segment share standpoint, the Camry led the segment with 25 percent, the Accord had 21 percent, Fusion took 13 percent, Altima had 11 percent, Optima had 9 percent and the Sonata had 8 percent. The Malibu had a 6 percent segment share, beating out the 3 percent occupied by the Legacy, and the 2 percent share each of the Passat and Mazda 6.
The midsize mainstream sedan segment contracted an average of 48 percent to 195,419 units in Q2 2020, meaning that the 59 percent drop in Chevy Malibu sales was faster than the segment average.
The GM Authority Take
After posting quite a healthy performance during the first quarter of 2020, Chevy Malibu sales fell significantly during the second quarter. We attribute the drop in Malibu sales in Q2 to two complications associated with the COVID-19 pandemic:
- Sub-par supply of Malibus at dealers as a result of production downtime lasting roughly two months at all U.S. GM plants, including the GM Fairfax plant that produces the Malibu for North America. The circumstance prevented dealers from selling the vehicle and fulfilling customer orders.
- Sub-par demand, as some customers potentially scaled back plans to purchase new vehicles as a result of the pandemic
The Malibu is currently the only Chevrolet sedan offered in the United States. Other Chevy sedans like the Cruze, Volt, and Impala have already been discontinued, while the Chevy Sonic will not see the 2021 model year. For its part, the Malibu is expected to be sunset at the end of its lifecycle in 2024.
About The Numbers
- All percent change figures compared to Chevrolet Malibu sales in Q2 2019, except if noted
- In the United States, there were 77 selling days in Q2 2020 and 77 selling days in Q2 2019
- South Korea sales figures reflect actual vehicle registrations rather than wholesales
- China sales figures represent retail deliveries and not wholesales
Subscribe to GM Authority for more Chevrolet Malibu news, Chevrolet news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Comments
And the discontinued Fusion is third. Everyone sure canceling sedans is a good idea?
It’s an unfortunate trend. Of course, without marketing, what should be expected? Hard to believe it’s come down to Malibu being GM’s last sedan. Very sad.
7th place seems to be where GM wants to be with pretty much everything so like it or not they on target!
@TR: I would not agree with that comment. GM is first in a few very important categories and is close to first in some other very important segments. Nobody can or will be first in every category. Although I feel it’s not good for GM (Ford, Chrysler, etc) to give up on the sedan market, I also won’t condemn them for trying to be strong in the money making segments.
what exactly is gm doing really well in right now?
Trucks, SUVs, Crossovers.
@Megeebee: Thank you. I’m not sure why that was not obvious to others. GM is tops or near the top in all trucks, SUV, CUV’s. And just because people are not buying cars in numbers like they used to, the larger cars GM has/had are quite good. The Cadillac CT6 is fantastic. The LaCrosse too. Same for the tiny little Spark that is selling near the top of it’s segment.
This is why GM is headed for a 15% market share. It is probably one of the reasons GM’s chief financial officer left GM for silicon valley. Can you really blame her?
It’s not a competitive product. The interior is cheap looking and feeling. It’s a rental fleet queen now. Hopefully Honda will make a Chevy version of the Accord under the new alliance and GM can finally give up on cars since they have been phoning in their cars for 20 years.
I was looking hard to buy one, but when I saw and felt the cheap interior I left the dealer.
This is why GM is headed for a 15% market share. It is probably one of the reasons GM’s chief financial officer left GM for silicon valley. Can you really blame her?
Competition sells things standard that require upgrading at a higher price on the Malibu.
Competition offers a V6 vs the putt putt engines in the Malibu.
Bottom line, competition gives you more bang for your buck.
This, exactly. The Malibu would up there on my list, except for all the poor choices they keep making with it. You can’t get the 2.0 below the overpriced, overloaded Premier. You can’t get AWD at all… and more competitors are starting to offer it at least with the weaker base engines. And even as a used car, you have to get at least a 2018 to get a decent sized gas tank. They just haven’t handled the basics well.
Every time i see a Malibu i think its a good looking car. The white one on the article pic here is better looking than most on this list. Interior sucks but that’s just gm.
Throw a 300hp v6 in it please GM.
Lol, they had an awd/v6 Malibu called Regal GS and nobody bought it, it’s not really faster than the 2.0 also the competition had to catch up to the current version. I do agree this cycle of Malibu is a bit long and the replacement will hit lots by 24′.
Turbocharged four cylinders lack smoothness and the longevity of a v6.
The only real reason for GM problems is reliability along with quality. Malibu is a gorgeous car. Interiors are somewhat cheaper looking than the Accord or Camry but not every eye catches this at first. Real problem is GM insists in using cheap materials and quality control is almost non existent. Shure they have improved but for every step they take toward quality improvements Japanese car makers take three. If they don’t do something it is gonna be too late soon. Please stop doing stupid commercials trying to convince people of the contrary and actually do something.
I love my 2019 Malibu. So far no problems and I had it for about 6 months. Its great on gas, I deliver and had a few 10 hour road trips back and forth. The gas is also great about 30 bucks to fill up and even working delivers 4 hours a day, I dont have to fill up for a few days.
They are not selling because people are brainwashed on trucks and SUVs. plus they are junk!
Year over Year Q1/Q2 totals are a better trend indicator. The Malibu is in 5th spot YTD 2020, with a smaller year over year decrease in sales than all the vehicles higher up except the Optima.
Not sure why GM authority focuses only on year over year quarterly sales, which are more prone to one-off events positive or negative.
I agree with looking at YTD. Supply issues while Fairfax was shut down limited what was on the lots. Went by my dealership a few weeks ago – showing mostly trucks, SUVs, and Crossovers. nary a sedan in sight.
The Malibu life-cycle is too long. I sometimes think GM needs to look back at the Harley Earl philosophy of major facelifts every two years. Visual upgrades attract consumer interest.
@Davey
During Harleys time, most all vehicles were heavily changed EVERY year.
If “Visual upgrades attract consumer interest.” then all automakers would do it more often.
Profit margins on cars like the Malibu are thin enough. That’s a big part of why US makers are letting them go. They can’t make any money.
The cost to do an even minor grille and lamps sort of change to an existing car is many millions of dollars, and refreshes do nothing to increase sales. At best, they slow a decline, but seldom to the extent of recouping the money spent on the changes.
Hmmm. They could advertise it. Haven’t seen a Malibu commercial in years. That, and the fact that GM has been threatening to kill the car off for at least 3 years now. Nobody wants to buy a brand new car that’s heading to the kill pen. It really doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why it’s not selling.
I drove an ’18 Honda Civic Si Coupe, but I needed to make the switch back to a sedan. I testdrove the Accord, Jetta R-Line, and new Kia K5. (I couldn’t get past the strange Avalon-like dash in the Camry, so that wasn’t even considered) After seeing a Black Cherry Malibu LS in person, I decided to give Chevrolet a chance.
The Malibu really impressed me. The cheap hard-touch dash and door material described by some auto journalists, was actually more appealing to the eye and feel than the Accord’s; graining felt less rubbery and looked more natural.
Fit and finish on the Malibu was better than I had been led to believe; hardly any creaks anywhere in the car, when pressing on materials. As for rough plastic edges, the Malibu was comparable to the Accord and my 2016 Mazda6.
Turn signal and wiper levers felt as good as Honda and Mazda, BUT radio knobs/buttons, door locks, window switches, cabin light switches, steering wheel buttons, and trunk release felt more substantial and higher-quality than Honda, and even Mazda6. The gray headliner material was a nice contrast to the black interior and brightened up the cabin.
The Malibu ride-quality was incredible; super smooth and substantial, and that’s when I was sold. I tested the K5 later that day, and was pretty impressed, but I couldn’t get the Malibu out of my head. The drive, the Chevy mystique in the interior and exterior styling, the black cherry paint, the classic Chevy (real) gauges & font, comfortable seat design, interior ergonomics, and consumer incentive… all was too good to pass up. (a manual trans. would be nice, but I guess those days are over)
Everything looked and felt better in person than what was reported. As good as the Malibu and Mazda6 is, why doesn’t it translate into sales?