The Chevrolet Malibu is one of the longest-running names in the Chevrolet range. It started in 1964 as the best-equipped version of the Chevelle, became a separate model in 1978, returned as a front-wheel-drive family car in 1997, and was built until 2025.
Chevrolet Malibu at a glance
| Production | 1964–1983 and 1997–2025 |
|---|---|
| Class | Mid-size car |
| First role | Top trim of the Chevrolet Chevelle |
| Separate model | from 1978 |
| Revival | 1997, as a front-wheel-drive car |
| Named after | Malibu, California |
| 1964 top engine | 327 cu in V8, 300 hp |
| 1965 Z16 | 201 Malibu SS cars with the 375 hp 396 |
| US production ended | November 2024 |
History of the Chevrolet Malibu
The first Malibu was the top-line subseries of the mid-size Chevelle from 1964 to 1972. It came in the full range of bodies, from a four-door sedan and two-door Sport Coupe hardtop to a convertible and a station wagon, with patterned cloth and vinyl upholstery, deep-twist carpeting and a deluxe steering wheel that lesser Chevelles did not have. The Malibu SS package was offered only on the two-door hardtop and convertible and brought bucket seats, a centre console, extra gauges and special wheel covers, with engines from the six-cylinder units to the 300 hp 327 V8 in 1964 and a 350 hp version in 1965.
In 1965, 201 Malibu SS cars received the Z16 option, with a modified chassis and Chevrolet’s new 375 hp 396 cu in V8; all were hardtops. For 1966 the Malibu SS gave way to the separate Chevelle SS-396 series, and the 1968 restyle brought semi-fastback rooflines, a new 307 cu in V8 as the base engine and the Concours luxury option for sedans and coupés, along with the Concours Estate wagon. The Malibu became a model line of its own in 1978 when the redesigned, downsized car replaced the Chevelle name entirely.
The rear-wheel-drive Malibu was built until 1983, and the name returned in 1997 on a front-wheel-drive car. A famous 1972 Malibu Classic appeared in a widely shown crash test against a 1971 Volkswagen Beetle, one of the tests that changed American attitudes to small-car safety. The eighth generation was sold globally, and US production ended in November 2024 as the Fairfax plant was prepared for the second-generation Chevrolet Bolt, which made the Malibu the last sedan Chevrolet sold in the United States.
Design and features
- Chevelle origins: the Malibu was a trim level for fourteen years before it became a model.
- Malibu SS: the early performance version, with 201 Z16 cars in 1965.
- Two lives: rear-wheel-drive intermediate to 1983, front-wheel-drive family car from 1997.
- Longevity: in production, with a gap, for half a century.
Chevrolet Malibu versions
- Chevelle Malibu (1964–1977): the top trim of the Chevelle range.
- Malibu SS: the early bucket-seat performance model.
- Malibu (1978–1983): the downsized car that replaced the Chevelle.
- Front-wheel-drive Malibu (1997–2025): the modern family sedan.
The Malibu grew out of the Chevrolet Chevelle and replaced the Chevrolet Corsica; it was later joined in the range by the Chevrolet Impala. More cars are in the Chevrolet collection.
Sources
- Chevrolet Malibu, English Wikipedia: history, generations, engines, production end
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