May 8 (UPI) — General Motors announced Wednesday it will shut down production of the Chevrolet Malibu for the second time in the car’s 60-year history, as the Detroit automaker shifts its focus to electric vehicles.
GM said it will stop manufacturing the gas-powered Chevy Malibu in November, allowing the company to invest $390 million at its Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas for the Chevrolet Bolt EV.
“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,” a GM spokesperson told The Detroit News in a statement.
GM plans to pause production of the Cadillac XT4 early next year in Kansas to make room for both the Bolt EV and XT4 on the same assembly line when production resumes in late 2025.
This is the second time the Chevy Malibu has been removed from GM’s lineup. In 1983, the company phased out what had been one of the nation’s best-selling mid-size sedans since 1964, to make room for the front-wheel drive Celebrity. The Malibu was resurrected in 1997, also as a front-wheel-drive vehicle.
While Chevrolet says it has sold more than 10 million Malibus throughout its nine generations, sales slumped 12.5% in the first three months of this year after rising 13% in 2023.
Besides the Corvette, the Malibu was Chevrolet’s last remaining car offered in the United States. GM ended production of the Chevrolet Camaro last year.