Years ago, General Motors (GM) established an end date for the Chevy Malibu, with production ceasing on June 20, 2023. However, that date has since been pushed back as executives in Detroit mull over an exciting and surprising number. The Malibu had the largest increase in sales over every other single midsize sedan by miles. Given GM’s proclivity for prioritizing company accounting, the Malibu’s sunset is lifted, and it’s living on.

The Malibu’s eye-popping sales increase

The years during the COVID-19 pandemic were tough on automakers, given the international relationship between suppliers, manufacturers, and dealerships. Midsize sedans like the Chevy Malibu took a significant blow in an age when electrification is seeing traditional models out. The Malibu is one of many casualties. But no one expected the four-door family car to leap in popularity in a model that’s effectively a carryover from the 2019 refresh.

GM Authority reports that in the 2021-2022 sales year, the Malibu posted a 193.24% increase. The figure is up from 39,376 units in the 2020-2021 sales year to 115,467 units.

The only other midsize sedan to have a sales increase during the period was the Nissan Altima, with a 34.86% bump. Every other segment competitor, including the popular Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, saw decreases. The surge in popularity places the Chevy Malibu fourth overall in the midsize sedan class.

Will there be a 2024 Chevy Malibu?

As mentioned before, GM was set to end production of the current 2023 Malibu on June 20. The next day, June 21, 2023, begins production for the 2024 model year vehicles. Unsurprisingly, GM has decided to push the Malibu’s end date back, building it through July 2023. While the immense sales numbers aren’t the reasons GM is continuing production, it is proof their decision late last year was the right one.

In late December 2022, GM Authority reported the redirect from the Detroit heavyweight to keep the Malibu for at least one more generation. Since most of Chevrolet’s next-generation cars are slated for the market in 2025, a 2024 Chevy Malibu will like, yet again, be a carryover. The last redesign for the ninth-generation sedan came in the 2019 model year. Since then, GM has only truncated the trim levels and added a few more standard safety features.

When will Chevy Malibu be discontinued?

The current Malibu was able to pass through the lens of worldwide economic strife in an age when the internal combustion sedan is dying. Therefore, cancellation is predictably set aside for now. The manufacturer plans to build the next-generation Chevy Malibu on a modular GM VSS-F D/E platform. It is slightly larger than the VSS-F B/C architecture forming the foundation of the Trax and Trailblazer SUVs.

Under the hood, the tenth-generation Malibu may have something similar to the engine in the 2023 model. The midsize sedan is only offered with one drivetrain configuration; a 163-horsepower turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder mated to a continuously variable automatic transmission. Nevertheless, considering corporate competitors like Toyota and Stellantis will unveil all-electric midsize sedan models in 2025, the Malibu could be an EV.