Recently, media reported that the Chevrolet brand said that the Malibu model will end production in November 2024.
To facilitate tooling and other factory modifications, production of the ninth-generation Malibu XL will be discontinued after global sales are reached, and production of the Cadillac XT4 will be suspended after January 2025. As a result, the plant will lay off workers until production resumes at the end of 2025, when the new Chevrolet Bolt and Cadillac XT4 will be produced, with the XT4 remaining in its current style.
The Chevrolet Bolt is not a rebranding of the Malibu model, so the Malibu model, which has been in continuous production for more than half a century, has been discontinued.
However, the Malibu XL produced by the SAIC-GM Chevrolet joint venture is not discontinued, and the brand has made it clear that there will be no overseas version of this car in the future, and whether or how to upgrade it in the future is a topic worthy of continuous attention.
Figure 1: Chevrolet Bolt
Figure 2: Chevrolet Malibu
About sales volume
SAIC-GM Chevrolet Malibu XL (hereinafter referred to as Malibu XL) is not discontinued, but it is difficult to give an opinion on whether it should be chosen.
Due to the May Day holiday, the sales statistics of specific models have not been completed for the time being, and the retail sales data of the brand in April have not yet been mastered. The data shows that the highest monthly sales of Malibu XL in the past six months is 1,130 units in December 2023, and sales declined in the first quarter, but the decline in sales in February is reasonable, because the Spring Festival falls in February.
Sales should have increased in March, but sales continued to decline month-on-month in March, with retail sales of just 259 units in March. Generally, it is not recommended to choose an unpopular model with too low sales for three reasons, the first is the low value retention rate of the vehicle, the second is that the sales volume of the brand is too low, which may cause a reduction in the number of stores and thus affect the convenience of vehicle maintenance, and the third is that it is difficult to predict the future of the brand.
Among SAIC-GM's Chevrolet series brands, the low-selling models are not only Malibu XL, but it can be said that except for the Chevrolet Cruze, all other models are unpopular cars.
In the same period, the Cruze's retail sales were 4,146 units, ranking 62nd in the retail sales ranking of sedans, and there were a total of 203 sedans for which retail sales data were available, so the Cruze's sales were still at the upper middle level.
However, the Malibu XL ranked second in sales of the brand in this period, that is, it ranked second with 259 units.
The remaining Explorers sold 195 units, the Trailblazer sold 173 units, the Changcun sold 150 units, the Chuangku sold 47 units, and the Xingmilo sold 37 units.
This is the retail sales data of SAIC-GM Chevrolet models in March, and all of them are well documented. Therefore, it is only up to you to judge whether these cars should be chosen, and it is difficult to predict whether Chevrolet Cruze can maintain high standards in future sales; The actual price of the car terminal is in the range of 60,000 to 80,000 yuan, and in this price band there has been a part of the domestic car equipped with a turbocharged engine humidification dual-clutch transmission, and at the same time, the 70,000-level domestic plug-in hybrid car has appeared, and the Chevrolet Cruze, which once relied on the price for volume, is facing a domestic car that adopts the same model. The 1.5-liter naturally-aspirated engine and six-speed wet dual-clutch transmission, as well as the 1.3-liter three-cylinder engine and 6-speed automatic transmission option, are competitive.
SAIC-GM's sales in April are a mystery, and the passenger association will have data for reference.
In the April 2024 sales volume statistics of the Passenger Car Association, the top 10 retail sales of automakers are BYD, FAW-Volkswagen, Geely Automobile, Changan Automobile, Chery Automobile, SAIC-Volkswagen, GAC Toyota, Dongfeng Nissan, FAW Toyota, and BMW Brilliance! There is no SAIC-GM in the top 10.
The sales volume of SAIC-GM is the sum of the three brands of Chevrolet, Buick and Cadillac, and the sales volume of BMW Brilliance, which ranks tenth in retail sales, is 49,000 units, so the upper limit of the comprehensive retail sales of the three brands of SAIC-GM in April is also clear, and what will be the Chevrolet car?
Let's wait for the specific data to come out before interpreting it.
All in all, there is no U.S. joint venture automaker in the top 10 in retail sales.
Tianhe Auto editor, welcome to retweet the comments