The COVID-19 pandemic rocked the automotive landscape to its core, with a series of unprecedented events that limited the automaker’s ability to manufacture and sell vehicles. As we continue to progress out of the virus slump, sales and production output continue to improve, and now, the Chevy Malibu posted its best sales year in 2022 since the beginning of the pandemic.
With 115,467 units sold throughout the 2022 calendar year, the Malibu performed relatively well as compared to the past few years, where the Bow Tie sedan only sold 39,376 and 102,651 units in 2021 and 2020, respectively. This marks the best sales year since 2019, where GM sold 131,917 units of the Malibu.
Sales Results - USA - Malibu
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 10,916 | 10,916 | 10,916 | 12,120 | 12,120 | 12,120 | 8,141 | 8,141 | 8,141 | 7,929 | 7,929 | 7,929 | 117,319 |
| 2023 | 12,479 | 12,479 | 12,479 | 13,577 | 13,577 | 13,577 | 11,093 | 11,093 | 11,093 | 6,298 | 6,298 | 6,298 | 130,342 |
| 2022 | 8,561 | 8,561 | 8,561 | 10,829 | 10,829 | 10,829 | 7,210 | 7,210 | 7,210 | 11,889 | 11,889 | 11,889 | 115,467 |
| 2021 | 8,996 | 8,996 | 8,996 | 1,633 | 1,633 | 1,633 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 2,407 | 2,407 | 2,407 | 39,376 |
| 2020 | 11,761 | 11,761 | 11,761 | 4,220 | 4,220 | 4,220 | 8,485 | 8,485 | 8,485 | 9,751 | 9,751 | 9,751 | 102,651 |
| 2019 | 11,399 | 11,399 | 11,399 | 10,325 | 10,325 | 10,325 | 10,811 | 10,811 | 10,811 | 11,438 | 11,438 | 11,438 | 131,917 |
| 2018 | 7,553 | 11,890 | 14,707 | 14,089 | 14,089 | 14,089 | 10,347 | 10,347 | 10,347 | 12,361 | 12,361 | 12,361 | 144,542 |
| 2017 | 8,377 | 12,406 | 14,222 | 17,364 | 20,718 | 10,812 | 10,549 | 22,725 | 23,989 | 14,647 | 13,420 | 16,628 | 185,857 |
| 2016 | 14,746 | 21,418 | 22,058 | 21,763 | 24,202 | 16,138 | 11,820 | 16,723 | 21,521 | 16,151 | 18,577 | 22,764 | 227,881 |
| 2015 | 11,878 | 13,971 | 16,552 | 17,430 | 21,461 | 15,228 | 16,022 | 17,553 | 17,066 | 24,725 | 10,813 | 12,155 | 194,854 |
| 2014 | 11,822 | 17,448 | 18,866 | 19,944 | 19,288 | 16,137 | 13,537 | 16,346 | 15,186 | 11,131 | 11,997 | 16,817 | 188,519 |
| 2013 | 15,823 | 14,817 | 18,539 | 21,734 | 18,899 | 21,288 | 12,473 | 16,890 | 14,487 | 15,746 | 14,405 | 15,493 | 200,594 |
| 2012 | 14,676 | 19,987 | 23,887 | 21,906 | 29,579 | 31,402 | 12,345 | 14,495 | 11,188 | 9,629 | 10,227 | 11,630 | 210,951 |
| 2011 | 14,102 | 19,092 | 15,551 | 24,701 | 25,600 | 23,737 | 19,529 | 17,840 | 11,114 | 10,239 | 10,269 | 13,034 | 204,808 |
| 2010 | 16,439 | 15,150 | 17,750 | 16,536 | 21,722 | 20,720 | 20,458 | 18,182 | 16,289 | 12,353 | 11,651 | 11,520 | 198,770 |
*** This manufacturer is now publishing only quarterly numbers for this market. Monthly figures may be averages.
It’s worth noting that the 2022 sales numbers are still off the Malibu’s best sales year, where 227,881 units of the sedan were sold in 2016.
Against its competition, the Chevy Malibu has gained much ground, with sales increasing almost 400 percent from Q4 2021 numbers to 33,833 units sold in Q4 2022. This places the Malibu in third place for its segment, behind the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry.
Sales Numbers - Midsize Mainstream Sedans - Q3 2022 - United States
| MODEL | Q4 22 / Q4 21 | Q4 22 | Q4 21 | Q4 22 SHARE | Q4 21 SHARE | YTD 22 / YTD 21 | YTD 22 | YTD 21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOYOTA CAMRY | +41.69% | 80,798 | 57,026 | 35% | 33% | -5.93% | 295,201 | 313,795 |
| HONDA ACCORD | -1.21% | 44,149 | 44,688 | 19% | 26% | -23.71% | 154,612 | 202,676 |
| CHEVROLET MALIBU | +393.95% | 35,668 | 7,221 | 15% | 4% | +193.24% | 115,467 | 39,376 |
| NISSAN ALTIMA | +19.68% | 33,833 | 28,269 | 15% | 16% | +34.86% | 139,955 | 103,777 |
| HYUNDAI SONATA | +56.86% | 19,893 | 12,682 | 9% | 7% | -40.81% | 55,131 | 93,142 |
| KIA K5 | -32.51% | 12,735 | 18,870 | 5% | 11% | -28.19% | 66,298 | 92,326 |
| SUBARU LEGACY | +33.78% | 5,446 | 4,071 | 2% | 2% | -0.71% | 22,605 | 22,766 |
| MAZDA MAZDA6 | -100.00% | 0 | 1,943 | 0% | 1% | -97.93% | 335 | 16,214 |
| CHRYSLER 200 | -100.00% | 0 | 10 | 0% | 0% | -86.67% | 2 | 15 |
| TOTAL | +33.04% | 232,522 | 174,780 | -3.90% | 849,606 | 884,087 |
As a reminder, the 2023 Chevy Malibu is only offered with one drivetrain configuration. This includes the turbocharged 1.5L LFV I4 gasoline engine, rated at 163 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT). Previously, the Malibu lineup featured an additionally drivetrain option, the turbocharged 2.0L LTG I4 gasoline engine, which was rated at 250 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, and GM nine-speed automatic transmission. Unfortunately, that powertrain combination was dropped as the Premier trim level was replaced with the 2LT.
Under the skin, the 2023 Malibu rides on the GM E2 platform, while production began back on September 7th, 2022 at the GM Fairfax plant in Kansas City.
Subscribe to GM Authority for more Chevy Malibu news, Chevy news, GM sales news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Comments
No way! GM says people don’t want sedans….
Make the Malibu an electric sedan, and it will sell even better as the only domestic EV sedan.
Mmmmm, and Mary wanted to kill it! GM needs new leadership.
Don’t worry. Mary will make it not sell. Why do you think they did away with the competitive engine and transmission combination?
Yeah she already killed the Premier.
I still think they should do a wagon with the Bu.
If there only at half capacity from 2016, then they could make a Buick sedan there on the same platform.
SS option would be nice.
I am not surprised, as the only non-Cadillac sedan in GM’s North American fleet or course it is selling better. It is the only choice left.
Yep, I would take an Impala over a Malibu any day.
Wow what a surprise.
GM should make an affordable wagon version.
you’d have to buy a used regal tourX. thats the closest you’re gonna get to a malibu wagon
Hanging on to our black w/Mojave ’15 Impala LTZ as long as possible. Shudder to think what the choices will be when the time comes.
We really like our ’14 Impala LT. We drove a Malibu, but no comparison. A much smaller vehicle with a very small trunk.
Very glad that there will be a next-generation Malibu. Maybe the Impala will return.
Well GM burned me when I posted a story I heard from the old rumor mill. Apparently GM was mulling a plan to have the Malibu and Impala on a shared FWD platform, with the Impala on the LWB variant. But it seems they shelved that idea and went full speed ahead to develop a strong crossover/suv lineup.
The Malibu was always a good car, especially so with the 2019 refresh which brought along some improvements. The Malibu now offers a good value for what you can get, too bad about the Premier trim though, that 2.0L turbo really hustled.
I have a ’21 premier. The car is quite zippy.
Same thing will happen to “SUV’s” in time. Over-saturation of the market and sales suffer. You can only make so many versions of the same crossover.
Anything that has a lift gate that isn’t traverse sized or larger is just a waste of space. Nothing fits in a small crossover that doesn’t fit in a sedan. The marketing game of practically is just that. A game.
no kidding. Why the Trax & Trailblazer exist, and the Blazer & Equinox exist is beyond me.
Sales numbers show that there are a lot of buyers still want a sedan. The Malibu, even at the top trim level, is a clean basic vehicle that won’t send you to the poor house. As EV’s can’t seem to make it out of the starting gate, the Malibu should keep GM buyers in house, otherwise it could be a Tesla.
Not bad, but it’s really the lack of a hybrid version that is keeping the Malibu’s numbers from getting closer to the Accord and Camry. After all, they both offer the hybrid along side ice.
I had my 2021 Malibu for just over one year and it was perfect with zero faults or issues. I really liked it and in a way wish I would have kept it. Such a nice riding and looking car with outstanding MPG. But the Bolt I ordered came in way faster than I expected, and with the threat of gas prices going way up again this summer, I went ahead and purchased my Bolt. Between the federal tax credit and a nice California rebate, I just couldn’t go wrong. My driving and ability to charge at work (free) and at home once a week makes this a very inexpensive vehicle to drive. But it’s still not my Malibu. So if GM actually brings a nice new version of the Malibu in an EV (sedan), I will be ordering one.
BTW, just under 900,000 units for just those brands/models alone. Add in all the other cars/sedans sold in 2022 and I’m certain the total numbers will be at least 2,500,000 to 3,000,000 total. And they say sedans don’t sell. BS.
It’s not just having a hybrid, but having one that doesn’t break the bank and at the very least is well advertised on all media. When the Malibu hybrid was available, people either balked at the price or just did not know about it at all! GM really failed marketing the Malibu hybrid.
Evo69: Man, you hit the nail on the head there. I think we have all agreed on here that GM sucks at marketing anything that isn’t a truck or truck based. It’s all they care about. There’s only one thing that I feel GM needs to learn from Toyota: How to market a vehicle! Toyota could stick it’s name and wheels on a dog turd and sell it because they know how to market. And GM needs to learn, like Toyota, to get a name on a car and stick with it! (Ok, I guess GM needs to learn 2 things from Toyota).
One time I went into a Chevy store and inquired about a Malibu Hybrid. The sales guy didn’t even know they offered one! Pathetic.
Too bad GM has dumbed down the current version with only the rental spec 160 HP 1.5T, no more Premier, no hybrid, another drop in fuel economy ratings (now down to only 27/35), CVT only transmission and an interior that is now 8 years old! I sure hope they can correct some of these things in the redesign starting with a gutzier engine
Now if they gave it a good powertrain that doesn’t require premium and a nice interior…
Ill just stick with my ’56 handyman, 58 sedan delivery, ’66 Impala, and ’82 Chevy Malibu wagons. I’ve owned over 50 wags since my first, a ’64 Chevy in 1975. They are great vehicles. Had a CTS-V and loved it but everyone wanting to race just got tiring.
Glad I got a Malibu with an actual transmission. The 16’s and 17’s seem fairly reliable with the exception of the shift to park problem which includes other years also.