The Malibu Limited was the outgoing version of Chevrolet’s midsize Malibu line sold for the 2016 model year only. It served as a carryover of the previous-generation Malibu while Chevrolet introduced an all-new Malibu for 2016, giving the brand a way to keep the older sedan in the market for buyers and fleet customers who still wanted that familiar design. In effect, it represented the final chapter of the eighth-generation Malibu nameplate in North America, offered alongside the redesigned Malibu rather than replacing it outright.
The nameplate itself traces back to the Malibu badge Chevrolet first used on the Chevelle Malibu in the 1960s, but the Malibu Limited designation was specific to this brief transitional period. Chevrolet’s own owner and parts materials identify the vehicle as a 2016 model, and factory literature treats it as distinct from the all-new 2016 Malibu. That separation is important: the Malibu Limited was not a new generation, but a continuation of the prior car under a temporary name to distinguish it from the redesigned sedan.
Because it was produced only as a 2016 model, the Malibu Limited has a short but notable place in Chevrolet history. It marks the handoff between two generations of one of Chevy’s best-known midsize nameplates, and it is often remembered as a practical, value-oriented carryover rather than a full redesign. After 2016, Chevrolet continued with the new-generation Malibu and did not revive the Limited nameplate.