The mid-size sedan market has been on the decline for years. It has reached a point wherein some manufacturers bailed out of the segment. Even class stalwarts such as the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry are not immune from the downward trend. Meanwhile, Ford discontinued the Fusion in 2020, while the Chevrolet Malibu is still around.
However, it seems that the Malibu's future is also in limbo. Per Cars Direct, Chevrolet no longer accepts orders for the mid-size sedan. "In relation to the Malibu, we are not taking any more orders because we have received enough orders to fulfill the 22 model year," said Chevrolet spokesperson Kevin Kelly to the website earlier this week. It is neither a confirmation nor denial of the vehicle's discontinuation. There was also rumor about the model's demise after 2023, but Chevrolet is tight-lipped on the car's future.
Chevrolet discontinued the Spark hatchback earlier this week, leaving the Malibu as the only non-electric, family-oriented car for the US and Canadian line-up. The other models in the range include the Corvette and Camaro, but even the latter is on thin ice following discontinuation rumors a few months ago.
The Malibu barely made a dent in the mid-size sedan segment last year. Per the company's sales report, the car found just 39,376 new owners in 2021. For reference, the Toyota shifted 313,79 Camry sedans during the same period, while the Honda Accord's tally for 2021 is 202,676 units. Other cars that outsold the Malibu include the Nissan Altima (103,777 units), Hyundai Sonata (93,142 units), and Kia K5 (92,326 units).
Despite that, Chevrolet still gave its mid-size sedan a few updates for 2022. The company dropped the entry-level (and slow-selling) Malibu L, leaving the LS as the new base model. It also removed the mechanical parking brake in favor of an electronic unit. For those who are interested, the 2022 Malibu starts at $ 24,395.