EGN NEWS DESK
General Motors stated 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 drive within the U.S. financial system.
For years, American drivers have been gravitating towards sport utility autos and away from sedans, compacts and hatchbacks. G.M.’s two Detroit rivals, Stellantis and Ford Motor, have additionally largely wiped their slates clear of automobiles within the United States.
Foreign automakers equivalent 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 autos on American roads. Last month, Subaru, a Japanese automaker, stated 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 unit to make a brand new model of the Chevrolet Bolt, an electrical automotive, and the Cadillac XT4, a luxurious S.U.V.
Consumers have moved away from automobiles to roomier S.U.V.s and pickup vans to haul kids and leisure gear like bikes and kayaks. Automakers have helped that development by providing extra of these bigger autos, which yield greater income than sedans and compacts.
The Malibu was launched in 1964 as an upscale household sedan. Four 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 international competitors. It reintroduced the Malibu in 1997, however the mannequin has virtually all the time trailed the Camry and Accord in gross sales.
Since its introduction, G.M. has offered greater than 10 million Malibus. But gross sales have slumped in recent times. In 2023, G.M. offered 130,000 Malibus, and deliveries fell 47 p.c within the closing three months of the yr. A decade earlier, G.M. sometimes offered 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 start out promoting a high-end electrical automotive this yr. All different fashions that G.M. makes for the U.S. market are actually vans or S.U.V.s.
Several 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 stated it can begin making an electrical model of its Dodge Challenger muscle automotive in 2025.
The Malibu might, after all, return sometime, maybe as an electrical automobile. Automakers have usually resurrected and repurposed outdated mannequin names, particularly those who consumers keep in mind fondly.
