Another iconic and may I add, GREAT car is going away to make room for more electric vehicles. Hey GM, are you absolutely sure this is a good idea? Because I am certainly not! I know, I know, sales are down on this 4-door sedan, but have you done anything to help it? Maybe a TV spot, or Internet ad campaign would help? Maybe you should have put some in the Press Fleet Pool, I’d have damned sure reviewed it. For the record, the last one you sent me was a 2016.
Check the numbers. Since 1964, you’ve sold over 10 million of these models. It was just last year that sales were up 13% over the prior year, and you did in fact sell 130,000 of them in 2023, nothing to sneeze about. Camaro is gone, Malibu dies this November, so on the car side, Chevrolet will only have the Corvette. For those people who want a good old American made sedan, what do I tell them? Many have bought these cars time and time again, even generations of families have purchased them.
See here is your problem, and clearly nobody thought about this. Your loyal Chevrolet customers will find their way to the local Toyota dealership to look at the Camry, another exceptional sedan. Guess what? They may just also own a Silverado, too. While seeing the new models from Toyota Jan on TV, the smart salesperson will say: “Hey Mr. Jones, have you driven the Tundra? While you are here anyway getting a Camry, try it out and tell me what you think”. Your loyal Chevy family may well find two Toyotas in their garage very soon.
Let’s be honest, the Dealers didn’t make any money selling the Malibu, they gave them all away at little and often zero profit. Many Malibus lost money, but the dealers kept their customer in a bow tie car, and that made it OK.
My Car Pro Dealer in DFW, Classic Chevrolet, stocks and sells hundreds of them, and they are the #1 volume Chevy Dealer in America. What do they tell those loyal customers when they come back for another one? “Oh, it’s gone, let me show you an electric vehicle?”
The GM plan is to change the Kansas City assembly plant over to build the electric Bolt. Let’s see, you sold 62,000 Bolt electric cars AND SUVs last year, and it was like pulling teeth, and also with the help of a $7,500 Federal tax credit paid for by the taxpayers: versus 130,000 Malibus. I don’t have an accounting degree, but are we 100% sure this is a good idea considering America isn’t flocking to dealerships for electric cars? Most automakers are rethinking plans for electrics, and even those car companies that were ALL IN on having 100% electric vehicles soon are quickly rethinking their plans and doing the Michael Jackson moon walk.
I noted in my 2016 Malibu review that the Malibu was a hybrid, and it was getting 46-miles per gallon, IN A REALLY GOOD-SIZED CAR. Maybe you haven’t noticed GM, but all the really smart car companies are developing hybrids at a record pace. It is now quickly approaching 40% of sales at Toyota and will likely be 50% by the end of this year. I’ll just throw it out there one more time: Are you sure this is a good idea?
To make matters worse, while you gut the KC plant to build even more EVs, those workers will be idled for months BUT they’ll still get paid according to the UAW contract you agreed to.
Malibu was a mainstay for fleet companies and rental agencies because of the price point and because they were well-built cars that people liked. Where are these companies going to buy now? Let’s see: A Buick, no-they have no 4-door sedans either. A Cadillac? No, they are over twice as much money. Maybe they’ll rent a GM electric? No-Hertz tried that and failed miserably. I guess they’ll have to go look at Toyotas, Nissans, Hyundais, Kias, or some other brand other than General Motors.
There are lessons to be learned about history, but GM has a short memory. They killed Malibu in 1983, only to bring it back in 1997. Almost 228,000 of them were sold in 2016, the last year I reviewed one. Since that time, you’ve ignored this exceptional sedan and given it no support. So don’t blame the car, don’t blame electric vehicles, don’t blame the economy or any other excuse you can muster, BLAME YOURSELF.
So, we say goodbye to an old friend. Malibu, you served us well, you were a true and faithful servant. Oh, you weren’t the sexiest car on the road, but you always got people where they were going. For those loyal customers who wanted to stay with GM, even after the bailouts, I say: I’m sorry for your loss. There are no great sedans left that can be bought in the low $20,000 price range. GM yanked the football out from under you like Lucy does to Charlie Brown.
I REPEAT: GENERAL MOTORS-BIG MISTAKE.
File Photo: Car Pro Show host Jerry Reynolds with the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu 2LT (2016.)
