Why Chevrolet is Phasing Out the Malibu Sedan After Sixty Years

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The Chevrolet Malibu is one of the longest running nameplates in automotive history. We look at why Chevrolet will stop production in November.

I bet nearly every adult in America has a Chevy Malibu story. Your friend had one or their parents did. When I got my first television job in 1980, I could only afford to buy a 1966 Chevrolet Malibu. My cousin Mike was nice enough to paint it for me. It lasted through Rockford, Illinois and took me to Grand Rapids, Michigan, for my second job. Now, after 60 years, Chevrolet is stopping production of the 2024 Chevrolet Malibu at the Fairfax Assembly Plant, in Kansas City, Kansas.

The 2024 Chevrolet Malibu

Primarily, the most recent versions of the Chevrolet Malibu are fleet vehicles. You may see some of them as rental cars. Chevy sold about 130,000 of them last year but has sold more than 10 million of them since they were first produced in 1964. The exterior of the Malibu hasn’t changed much since 2019.

The Malibu does have upgraded safety technology including:

  • Following Distance Indicator,
  • Forward Collision Alert  
  • Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning  
  • Automatic Emergency Braking and Front Pedestrian Braking
  • Standard HD Rear Vision Camera
  • Standard Rear Park Assist
  • Standard Teen Driver and Buckle to Drive
  • Driver Confidence and Cruise Package includes Automatic Parking Assist, Enhanced Automatic Emergency Braking and Adaptive Cruise Control

GM is Updating the Fairfax Plant to Build EVs

Currently, the Fairfax plant produces the Chevrolet Malibu and the Cadillac XT4 small luxury SUV. The plant will end production of the Malibu in November and pause production of the XT4 in January of 2025. The plant will undergo a nearly $400 million dollar upgrade to build EVs and reopen in late 2025. Plans are to build the revamped Chevrolet Bolt EV and Cadillac XT4 on the same line when the plant reopens. The XT4 is gas-powered and for now, it appears it will continue to be an ICE vehicle. The Bolt EV was discontinued after battery problems last year and will return on a new Ultium battery platform. Following November, the Chevrolet Corvette will be Chevy’s only car.

It seems unlikely that Chevrolet will eliminate a name as well known as the Malibu, perhaps it will be brought back as some sort of EV in the future. Sixty years of brand loyalty is a lot to toss aside.

Chevrolet Photo

Mary Conway is a professional automotive journalist and has decades of experience specializing in automotive news analysis. She covered the Detroit Three for more than twenty years for the ABC affiliate, in Detroit. Her affection for the Motor City comes naturally. Her father ran a gas station while Mary was growing up, in Wisconsin.

Follow Mary Conway at @MaryConwayMedia and send her car news tips for future stories.