It will join the Chrysler 200 and Ford Fusion in the limbo of American mid-size sedans.
There was a time not too long ago, I would say about 15 years ago, when the two largest segments of the American market were pick-ups and midsize sedans, which for our canons would be more than large.
This segment was led by the Toyota Camry followed by the Honda Accord, with American brands trying to put up a powerful contender. Ford tried it with the Taurus and with the Fusion, Chrysler had the 200C and the 300C, and Chevrolet played with the Malibu, a model that has been successfully marketed since 1964. Well, of them, there will be none left.
It was popular knowledge that the Chevrolet Malibu would be discontinued, but everything indicated that it still took several years for this to happen. However, according to colleagues at the GM Authority, the date of death has been brought forward and thus shortens the lifetime for this iconic model.
There are two main reasons why this car will advance its death date: the growing popularity of SUVs and the sharp drop in sales due to the coronavirus crisis. Malibu’s commercial life was expected to last until 2025, but all indications are that this ninth generation will disappear two years earlier.
The disappearance of this model represents another blow to the sedan segment by the US auto industry. The first to say goodbye was the Chrysler 200C, then the departure of the Ford Fusion was confirmed and now it is time for the Malibu. For now, the Asian models remain: Camry, Accord, Nissan Maxima, Hyundai Azera and Kia Cadenza, to name the main ones.
Who would say that this segment, once clearly American, would end up being represented only by Japanese, Korean and even Chinese models.
