The Chevrolet Malibu Has Died A Quiet Death
The Chevrolet Malibu is driving into the sunset.
Production of the midsize model has all but ended at GM’s Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas, which will be retooled to build the next generation electric Chevrolet Bolt starting late next year.
There was no party, confetti or even a celebratory “last Malibu” photo released as the nameplate was put on the shelf for the second time in its 61-year history.
A source at the factory told American Cars And Racing that major assembly essentially wrapped up before Thanksgiving, but that a batch of cars had to wait for parts to get finished up in the following weeks.
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GM never put a formal date on the end of production, only saying that it would be done by the end of the year. The factory source said they hadn’t seen a Malibu around for some days and, with the holiday break coming up, it would appear that the last one may have been shipped.
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This marks the second year in a row that GM has let one of its iconic nameplates fade into the history books. Production of the Chevrolet Camaro ended last December and, while Chevy did confirm the date as Dec. 14 and the specification of the final street car as a ZL1, official images and its fate were never released.
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It wasn’t the very last Camaro entirely completed, however. That was a drag racing Copo Camaro that was finished up this year and sent to the GM Heritage Collection of historic vehicles for posterity.
The Malibu started its life in 1964 as a trim level of the Chevelle that grew so much in popularity over the years that it replaced the Chevelle name outright in 1978. Chevrolet gave it a break between 1983 and 1997, but has been in production since then. More than 10 million have been sold over the years that cover a range of vehicle types that includes coupes, convertibles, sedans, hatchbacks and station wagons.
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The Malibu’s discontinuation without a direct replacement means that Chevrolet has joined Ford with a lineup comprised of SUVs and pickups along with one sports car, the Corvette. The increasingly popular Trax subcompact SUV and compact Equinox are expected to pick up the slack left by the Malibu’s departure, but it will be a long time before either can stand alongside it in the pantheon of Chevrolets.
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