Common Motors mentioned on Wednesday that it might cease making the Chevrolet Malibu, the final reasonably priced sedan in its U.S. mannequin lineup and a venerable nameplate that was launched within the Sixties when the corporate was a dominant pressure within the U.S. financial system.
For years, American drivers have been gravitating towards sport-utility automobiles and away from sedans, compacts and hatchbacks. G.M.’s two Detroit rivals, Stellantis and Ford, have additionally largely wiped their slates clear of automobiles in the US.
International automakers akin to Toyota, Honda and Hyundai nonetheless promote a whole lot of 1000’s of sedans and compacts every year, however far fewer than in earlier many years when the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord ranked among the many hottest automobiles on American roads. Final month, Subaru, a Japanese automaker, mentioned that it might cease making its Legacy sedan subsequent yr.
G.M. produces the Malibu at a plant in Fairfax, Kan., and can proceed to fabricate the automotive till later this yr, when it plans to retool the manufacturing facility to make a brand new model of the Chevrolet Bolt, an electrical automotive, and the Cadillac XT4, a luxurious S.U.V.
Customers have moved away from automobiles to roomier S.U.V.s and pickup vans to haul youngsters and leisure gear like bikes and kayaks. Automakers have helped develop that pattern by providing extra of these bigger automobiles, which yield larger earnings than sedans and compacts.
The Malibu was first launched in 1964 as an upscale household sedan. 4 years later, G.M. added a sporty, muscle-car model — the Malibu SS. G.M. stopped making the Malibu in 1983 as the corporate was compelled to downsize by rising overseas competitors. It reintroduced the Malibu in 1997, however the mannequin has nearly at all times trailed the Camry and Accord in gross sales.
Since its introduction, G.M. has bought greater than 10 million Malibus. However gross sales have slumped lately. In 2023, G.M. bought 130,000 Malibus, and deliveries fell 47 p.c within the last three months of the yr. A decade earlier, G.M. usually bought about 200,000 Malibus a yr.
In 2023, G.M. introduced that it might cease manufacturing of the Chevrolet Camaro, a sports activities automotive. It continues to make the Chevrolet Corvette. Its Cadillac model makes two gasoline-powered sedans and has plans to begin promoting a high-end electrical automotive this yr. All different fashions that G.M. makes for the U.S. market at the moment are vans or S.U.V.s.
A number of years in the past, Ford eradicated sedans from its lineup. The Mustang is the one automotive that Ford makes for the U.S. market. Stellantis, the proprietor of Chrysler, now focuses primarily on vans, S.U.V.s and minivans, although the corporate has mentioned that it might begin making an electrical model of its Dodge Challenger muscle automotive in 2025.
The Malibu might, after all, return some day, maybe as an electrical car. Automakers have usually resurrected and repurposed outdated mannequin names, particularly people who patrons keep in mind fondly.
