Possible next-generation Chevrolet Malibu.
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After 9 generations, Chevrolet killed the Malibu sedan a few months ago. Which seems to be another of these weird GM decisions, since the Malibu was still quite popular with over 117,000 units sold in 2024. Which is actually pretty good for a car that came out in 2015.
I guess sometimes GM feels the need to kill some of its models for odd reasons, even popular ones like the Chevrolet Bolt. Or even not-so-popular ones like the Cadillac CT6. And publicly acknowledge the decision might have been a mistake months or years later. This “must kill” policy is like a weird disease at GM.
For a few years before its cancellation, there were a few rumors about a next-generation Chevrolet Malibu. And a new one was expected soon. Then GM just decided to just kill it with no replacement coming. Not even on the Ultium platform. Of course, sedans aren’t doing well these days, and a new Malibu would be a long shot. And yet, wouldn’t it be interesting to see what they were planning? GM must have a few prototypes hidden somewhere…
The illustration above shows what a new generation Chevrolet Malibu sedan could look like. One using a “multi-powetrain” approach. Since that’s a new trend these days. Maybe the Ultium platform could be modified to accept a Hybrid or PHEV powertrain, like Stellantis’s STLA platform. GM does offer a PHEV Chevrolet Equinox in China. As well as a new Buick EREV sedan with a 1.5 Liter range extender.
Something like this would be nice in a new Malibu, with an EV as an option.
We know a new Camaro is coming, one way or another. Probably as a Mustang Mach-E competitor. Which makes sense since the Mach-e is now much more popular than the “regular” Mustang Coupe.
There is a new rumor about Chevrolet getting its own version of the next-generation Cadillac XT-5 sedan. Which is strange.
More on that very soon…
price point value mild hybrid n/a 4. Like a sedan Envista that dumps the turbo 3.
Vince – When you’re pointing to total sales figures for specific cars, you shouldn’t include rental company and fleet sales. (They don’t really count). For the Malibu – “The total figure of 117,319 units sold includes both fleet and rental sales. The official sales reports provided by General Motors do not typically separate these figures in public-facing reports; they report total deliveries.
In fact, a significant majority of the Malibu sales in its final years, including 2024, went to fleet operators such as rental car companies and government organizations, rather than individual retail customers. Industry analysis indicated that for some months in 2023, nearly 75% of Malibus were sold to fleets, and this trend continued in 2024, which is one reason the model was discontinued for general consumers.”