General Motors (GM) — the manufacturer of Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC vehicles — has confirmed the end of one of the most popular sedans in the U.S. as the company switches focus to electric vehicles (EVs).
The Chevrolet Malibu, dubbed “the last midsize car made by a Detroit automaker” by the Associated Press, (AP) is heading for the junkyard, the outlet reported.
The iconic car, first introduced in 1964, sold about 130,000 units in 2023, down from 230,000 sales in 2016 — with many of those being at a low profit to car rental companies.
SUVs and trucks now dominate the auto market, with traditional cars making up less than 20 percent of total U.S. vehicle sales, CNN reported, citing figures from Cox Automotive.
Midsize cars accounted for only eight percent of new U.S. vehicle sales in 2023, down from 22 percent in 2007, the AP reported.
In its crusade to become a staple in American homes, GM said it sold more than ten million Malibus in the nine generations since its introduction.
The manufacturer’s Kansas City plant is set to stop producing the Malibu in November, after which it will reportedly get a $390 million “retooling” to build a new version of the Chevrolet Bolt — a small EV.