U.S. national inventory for the Chevy Malibu was running at a 47 days supply at the beginning of January 2023, GM Authority has learned from sources familiar with the matter. Dealerships across the country had 8,751 units on the ground with 3,138 additional units in transit.
Having a 47 days supply of the 2023 Chevy Malibu means dealers could continue selling the vehicles at current sales volume for approximately 47 days with the inventory on hand at their dealerships.
For context, a 60 days supply was considered optimal in the U.S. auto industry prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most vehicle models have been running at a fraction of that supply for several years as the headline-making microchip shortage and numerous other supply issues created production bottlenecks for GM and other automakers. At 47 days supply, the Malibu is approaching normal pre-pandemic inventory levels.
Chevy Malibu inventory has been improving for several months. The 47 days supply is higher than in early December 2022, when the midsize sedan was running at a 32 days supply. GM had 7,829 units of the Malibu on the ground and about 2,900 units in transit as of December 1st.
These inventory figures were themselves an improvement from earlier months. The Chevy Malibu was running at a 26 days supply in October 2022 with 6,549 individual units at U.S. dealers and 8,184 units in transit.
Chevy Malibu sales numbers rose strongly in 2022, increasing 193 percent compared to 2021. The trend strengthened toward the end of the year, with fourth-quarter sales numbers almost 394 percent higher than Q4 2021 sales, signaling likely continued momentum moving into 2023.
Sales Results - Q4 2022 - USA - Chevrolet
| MODEL | Q4 2022 / Q4 2021 | Q4 2022 | Q4 2021 | YTD 2022 / YTD 2021 | YTD 2022 | YTD 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLAZER | -16.79% | 16,631 | 19,986 | -4.38% | 67,246 | 70,325 |
| BOLT EUV | +140,249.44% | 11,242 | 8 | +883.34% | 27,091 | 2,755 |
| BOLT EV | +28,506.70% | 4,866 | 17 | -50.03% | 11,029 | 22,073 |
| CAMARO | -19.59% | 5,475 | 6,809 | +12.60% | 24,652 | 21,893 |
| COLORADO | -3.97% | 20,602 | 21,453 | +22.17% | 89,197 | 73,008 |
| CORVETTE | +10.09% | 9,130 | 8,293 | +4.45% | 34,510 | 33,041 |
| EQUINOX | +242.98% | 48,748 | 14,213 | +28.28% | 212,072 | 165,323 |
| EXPRESS | +110.66% | 16,360 | 7,766 | +19.24% | 52,888 | 44,355 |
| LOW CAB FORWARD | +1.19% | 1,532 | 1,514 | +1.93% | 5,764 | 5,655 |
| MALIBU | +393.95% | 35,668 | 7,221 | +193.24% | 115,467 | 39,376 |
| SILVERADO | +23.00% | 141,912 | 115,376 | -1.23% | 523,249 | 529,765 |
| SPARK | +126.17% | 3,284 | 1,452 | -43.95% | 13,710 | 24,459 |
| SUBURBAN | +14.35% | 16,045 | 14,031 | +5.68% | 50,951 | 48,214 |
| TAHOE | +0.78% | 31,123 | 30,882 | -0.26% | 105,756 | 106,030 |
| TRAILBLAZER | +16.56% | 18,956 | 16,263 | -32.47% | 60,888 | 90,161 |
| TRAVERSE | +23.67% | 27,271 | 22,052 | -16.59% | 96,965 | 116,250 |
| TRAX | +267.21% | 4,715 | 1,284 | -37.55% | 26,597 | 42,590 |
| CHEVROLET TOTAL | +43.28% | 413,560 | 288,647 | +5.59% | 1,518,048 | 1,437,677 |
GM recently dropped the Premier trim level, repackaging it as the 2LT trim for the 2023 Chevy Malibu. It also stopped offering the turbocharged 2.0L I4 LTG gasoline engine and GM 9-speed automatic transmission, which were the only engine and transmission choices available on the Premier trim.
The 2LT trim got the turbocharged 1.5L I4 LFV gasoline engine instead, paired with the MRG continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). This gave the former Premier’s new incarnation an engine and transmission combo that’s standard on all other Chevy Malibu trims.
Though the Chevy Malibu is a lone sedan in a world of crossovers, SUVs and trucks, GM Authority has learned that plans to introduce a tenth-generation Malibu are on the table. GM may begin production of the overhauled Malibu in 2025, with the generation speculatively running through calendar year 2031.
The next generation will probably ride on a new iteration of the GM E2 architecture used in the current Chevy Malibu. Production is expected to continue taking place at the GM Fairfax plant in Kansas.
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Comments
Malibu was Chevy’s third best selling model, thus in GM’s top 5 for sure for 2022.
Anticipating a very stylish next-generation Malibu.
Seems the nice blue colour in the first Malibu photo isn’t available, nor is the silver in the second photo. Too bad,
simon: I think that first pic is Dark Ash Gray. A few of them I’ve seen have a blue-ish hue to them. Looks good on it.
GM NEEDS to step it up, big-time, if they plan to survive.
Styling is dated, the interior feels stale and cheap compared to rivals. Prices have risen dramatically.
At the top tier, the Malibu is competing against MB A class, BMW 3 series, Genesis G70, and is more expensive than Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, and Kia competition.
I could never fathom paying $40k for a Chevy Malibu in it’s current configuration
I was on six manufacturers lots this past weekend…overall Chevy has the least compelling vehicles across all segments except fullsize Trucks/SUV.
Are you talking about MSRP or dealers marking up the Malibu to $40k? Because without all the tools, headphones, tablet holders, or such nonsense the Malibu maxed out at $37k. Which undercuts Camry and Accord by around $1k. That comes with a 2.0t, 9 spd, and all the driver safety equipment. Which in terms of acceleration and driving dynamics. It’s on par if not unnoticeable to tell the difference, unless you are to drive them back to back.
The Malibu’s main shortcomings is with the base engine and its interior throughout the trim levels. The base engine is anemic. The Premier when they had it was probably the blandest of the group but was on par for 2016 through 2019. The interior was $hit on all the trims below the Premier from the get go.
When Buick discontinued the Regal, Chevy had an opportunity to update the Malibu in a more substantial way. They no longer had to intentionally make the Malibu cheap to keep it below the Regal. Which leads me to believe that the possible 10th gen Malibu is going to be nothing special.
More than likely, the engine is going to be downgraded. From the 1.5t to the 1.2t from the Trax and the Trailblazer. With no other available engine option. The only reason they are making another Malibu is because they saw demand on a 7 year old model with no real changes since 2016. So if they were to “update” the Malibu to a cheaper version. Advertise it as a “all new” model with a more anemic engine and a worse interior. They’ll make money off people who would think the 10th gen is better than the 9th gen.
The cvt transmission it worst ever feels like transmission slipping that’s why traded mine in for something else would be great if they bring back 6 speed automatic or 9 speed automatic