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2025 Chevy Malibu. There are hardly many sedans available to new-car buyers, but the Chevrolet Malibu is one of them. And if a fresh tale proves to be accurate, it could persist for at least another generation. This latest rumor follows prior reports that the Malibu will be retired in 2024. A GM Authority source believes that a new generation is scheduled for 2025, presumably riding on a modified version of the company’s present platform. Motor1.com has reached out to Chevrolet for comment on this report, but we have yet to receive a response.
We are sharing this information because compelling evidence supports the Malibu’s continued existence. We are still expecting Chevrolet’s full 2022 sales data, but through October, Malibu sales were up a staggering 148 percent compared to the same period in 2021. Chevrolet recorded 79,799 unit sales during the first three quarters of the year, whereas just 39,376 Malibus were sold for the entire year of 2021.
In comparison, the Blazer, Traverse, Trailblazer, Suburban, and Tahoe are outselling this vehicle. It is also outselling the Chevrolet Colorado, although sales for the midsize pickup should climb next year due to the July introduction of a new generation. The Malibu remains well behind the best-selling sedan, the Toyota Camry, which sold 214,403 units through October 2022.
If the Malibu survives for a second generation on a modified version of its existing platform, it is likely that it will be powered by an internal combustion engine. General Motors is already advertising its Ultium-powered electric future aggressively, but with states like California and Oregon planning to restrict the sale of new internal-combustion vehicles by 2035, there may be time for one more ICE generation.
Chevrolet’s Malibu nameplate has a lengthy and rich history dating back to 1964. After a hiatus during the most of the 1980s and 1990s, it returned to Chevy’s sedan lineup in 1997 and has been a mainstay ever since. The current generation model was introduced in 2016, with a mid-cycle refresh arriving in 2019.
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2025 Chevy Malibu Update
Since the current Chevrolet Malibu has been on sale in North America since 2015, a replacement is long overdue. But after General Motors withdrew all sedans from Buick’s lineup owing to the SUV craze and Chevrolet was forced to discontinue the full-size sedan Impala in 2020, there have been persistent whispers that the sixth generation of the Malibu could also be the last. Now, however, new information suggests that General Motors is really working on a seventh generation of its successful midsize car, which may be introduced in less than two years.
According to GM Authority, citing sources with knowledge of the situation, General Motors has decided to keep the Malibu alive for another generation. The publication also claims to have obtained additional information about the seventh generation of the compact sedan. The new Malibu, for instance, may ride on a variation of the GM VSS-F platform. Due to the fact that this is a platform developed for internal combustion engines, the seventh generation will not debut as an all-electric vehicle, but will at most accompany the shift to electromobility with hybrid engines.
It is also expected that the new Malibu will utilize the D/E platform variation. This is likely to be accompanied by a little lengthening, bringing the Malibu into the 5-meter region. In the near future, the Malibu will likely be the lone sedan in Chevrolet’s lineup to assume the role of full-size flagship and replace the defunct Impala. Maserati has already followed a similar route, replacing its Ghibli and Quattroporte sedans with a reduced flagship model.
Three-quarter view of the rear of the Chevrolet FNR-XE Concept
In recent years, the market for sedans has continued to fall due to the popularity of SUVs. Even though all the numbers are not yet available, it is likely that fewer new vehicles of this type were sold in 2022 than in 2021. This is sufficient justification for many manufacturers to abandon their heritage models and concentrate solely on SUVs. The new Accord and Malibu are daring exceptions. The producers’ reward, however, is ongoing robust sales in a market category that is decreasing.
In the meantime, the new generation of the 2025 Chevy Malibu will likely continue to be made at GM’s Fairfax plant, where the current model is already produced. According to GM Authority, the new car might hit the market as early as 2025 and remain in production until 2031. In addition to the Malibu, Chevrolet is also continuing to develop an all-electric D-segment sedan, which will likely be introduced initially solely in China. It is unknown whether and when this model will be available alongside the Malibu in North America, or even replace it.
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2025 Chevy Malibu News
The Chevy Malibu is a bit of an odd duck in the current auto market, being the last remaining Chevy sedan in the U.S. at a time when crossovers are quite popular and featuring an internal combustion engine while the majority of the industry is shifting to electric vehicles. The General has opted to keep the Chevy Malibu nameplate alive for at least one more generation, according to GM Authority.
Those who have been following GM Authority’s coverage up to this point may be surprised by this development. In 2019, we reported that the current ninth-generation Chevrolet Malibu would be discontinued in 2024, while in 2020 we reported that the Malibu nameplate’s future remained uncertain. Now, however, GM Authority has learned through informed sources that GM has opted to retain the Malibu nameplate alive for at least one more generation.
In addition, we now have interesting information regarding GM’s plans for the next-generation 2025 Chevy Malibu. The new vehicle will initially ride on a derivative of the GM VSS-F platform, namely the larger D/E variant. This type is distinct from the smaller VSS-F B/C platform variant that underlies the Chevrolet Trailblazer and Trax.
The program code for the planned next-generation Chevrolet Malibu will be 9DSC-L, with “9D” representing the VSS-F architecture, “S” referencing the sedan body style, “C” referencing the Chevrolet brand, and “L” referencing the extended wheelbase structure. This design might alternatively be regarded a modern version of the GM E2 architecture that underpins the contemporary Chevrolet Malibu.
The next-generation Malibu is anticipated to be manufactured in the GM Fairfax plant in Kansas, the same location that manufactures the current model. Production might commence as early as 2025 and continue through 2031. Nevertheless, it is likely that this timeframe will be revised in the future.
With 79,799 units sold over the first three quarters of the 2022 calendar year, the Chevrolet Malibu was rated fourth in the midsize mainstream sedan segment.
