Achi news desk-
The Chevrolet Malibu, the last sedan still sold by General Motors’ biggest-selling brand, will end production this year, the company announced.
Malibu production will end in November as the factory that builds it, the Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Kansas, is reconfigured to build a new generation of the Chevrolet Bolt EV.
With the demise of the Malibu, General Motors’ mainstream Chevrolet brand will sell trucks, SUVs, and the Corvette, a two-seat sports car, only in the United States.
Chevy’s close competitor Ford made a similar move years ago when it stopped selling the Taurus and Fusion sedans, leaving the two-door Mustang as the only traditional car in its lineup. Chevrolet stopped making its Mustang rival, the Camaro, last year.
Traditional cars — vehicles that aren’t SUVs, trucks or vans — account for less than 20 percent of U.S. auto sales, according to Cox Automotive. The last generation of the Malibu was first introduced in 2016, making it much older than rivals such as the relatively popular Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. A new version of the Camry, now only available as a hybrid, has just started production. Still, GM sold more than 130,000 Malibus last year, a 13 percent increase from the previous year.
The Malibu was introduced back in the 1960s as a more luxurious version of the Chevrolet Chevelle, called the Chevelle Malibu. By the 1970s, it had become its own unique model. The Malibu model line was discontinued in 1983 but was brought back again in 1997, and has been in production ever since.
