The Chevrolet Malibu Was The Best Of The Rest

The Chevrolet Malibu has officially reached the end of the road—but not before one last milestone.

Despite its discontinuation, sales figures from last year suggest it was still holding its own in a declining midsize sedan segment.

With 117,319 units sold in 2024, the Malibu ranked as the third-best-selling midsize sedan in the U.S., outselling the Nissan Altima (113,898 units), Hyundai Sonata (69,343 units), and Kia K5 (46,311 units). While much of that volume came from fleet sales, the Malibu still found buyers, even as it aged without major updates.

Of course, sales still remained well behind the Toyota Camry, which led the segment with 309,876 sales, and the Honda Accord, which moved 162,723 units despite production slowdowns at Honda’s Marysville Assembly Plant.

The Malibu’s sales performance placed it behind only the Silverado and Equinox in Chevrolet’s lineup, but that wasn’t enough to keep it in production. General Motors made the decision to retire the sedan in favor of a new Bolt EV, though details on its replacement remain scarce.

The Malibu itself had gone largely unchanged in recent years, making it less competitive against newer rivals.

The discontinuation of the Malibu is part of an unfortunate shift away from traditional sedans in favor of crossovers and SUVs—which are judged more favorably by Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards. While consumer demand for sedans remains in some corners of the market, automakers continue to prioritize higher-riding models that bring in more profit per unit.

Whether the pendulum swings back toward four-door cars in the future remains to be seen, but for now, Chevrolet is moving forward without a midsize sedan in its lineup. First introduced in 1964, the Malibu was a staple of Chevrolet’s lineup, returning in 1997 after a hiatus in 1983—it remained in production until November 2024.

Become an AutoGuide insider. Get the latest from the automotive world first by subscribing to our newsletter here.