Chevrolet Malibu Production to End in November
We’ve been hearing about it since 2019, but now it’s official: the Chevrolet Malibu will die later in 2024.
According to reports by The Detroit News and other U.S. media outlets, which spoke with a GM spokesman, the once popular midsize sedan will stop being manufactured on November 4, allowing the automaker to retool the Fairfax, Kansas assembly plant as it prepares to build the next-generation Chevrolet Bolt EV in 2025.
- Also: Pre-Owned Chevrolet Malibu or Ford Fusion: Which One Is Best?
- Also: Next-Gen Chevrolet Bolt EV to Arrive in 2025
"To facilitate the installation of tooling and other plant modifications, after nine generations and over 10 million global sales, GM will end production of the Chevrolet Malibu in November 2024 and pause production of the Cadillac XT4 after January 2025," GM’s Kevin Kelly said in a statement.
Employees will be laid off temporarily. When production resumes in late 2025, Fairfax will produce both the future Bolt EV (this one based on the Ultium platform) and the XT4 on the same assembly.
Just as Old as the Mustang
Much has been said and written lately about the 60th anniversary of the Ford Mustang, but the Chevrolet Malibu is just as old, although production ended in 1983 and resumed 14 years later as a FWD car. The current generation was introduced for the 2016 model year.
Many other midsize sedans have disappeared over the past few years including the Chrysler 200, Ford Fusion, Mazda6 and Volkswagen Passat. More recently, we learned that the Kia K5 won’t return for 2025 in Canada. The Subaru Legacy is going to bow out next year, too.
Similarly, the Malibu’s demise is the result of SUVs ruling the market. Chevrolet expects customers to turn to other vehicles in the lineup such as the completely redesigned 2025 Equinox.