Poll: Is GM Making A Mistake By Not Offering AWD On 2014 Impala?

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• No. How many awd CTS4's do you see? not many (from my own observations, maybe 3-5% of all second gen CTS' are awd equipped and I'm in snowy Canada), and with the CTS, people are already dropping a decent amount of money, going to awd in the CTS is a drop in the bucket. I use the CTS as an example since it's rwd, for the average person much, much, harder to drive in the winter, even with good driving aids.
  A full size fwd car is a walk in the park given a good set of Altimax Arctics or Blizzaks.

  • AWD-equipped CTS may sell in large numbers, or they may not. We don't know since GM doesn't break out sales by drivetrain. Seeing them on the road isn't really a good measure of sales success.

    But consider this: of the people who do buy the AWD CTS... would they have bought something different if AWD were not available? Perhaps something from the competition?

    In other words, the Epsilon platform supports AWD... the XTS will offer it. And the XTS will be made on the same line as the Impala in Oshawa. So it's really an artificial limitation to not offer AWD in the 'Pala. So how ever many buyers will opt for AWD (5%, 10%, who knows?), Chevy will lose out to Ford, Chrysler, and Toyota. Is that something it can afford?

    • Out of about 70 CTS models we have in stock, I can count on my hand how many RWD CTS models we have. (excluding V's) Yes, Caddy developed the AWD CTS solely because they don't offer it in FWD. I live in MI.

      The AWD LaCrosse is also very un-popular here. The residual PLUMMETS in terms of leasing. I think GM is just fine with offering the Impala in strictly FWD.

    • I BET IT WILL SELL JUST FIND AS IT IS.....

    • I live in NJ and have always been a Chevy man. 3 years ago I bought an AWD CTS because Chevy had no sedan with AWD and navigation. They solved half the problem but I'm very disappointed about the AWD. Obviously GM believes there is brand loyalty to the "General" but most Chevy drivers are often performance driven. I'm as likely to consider the Taurus SHO as another CTS when I replace it next year. 51 percent disagree with GM; they've learned a lot about quality but still suck at market research.

• I think they are making it fwd only to maximize profit.

  • Or they can offer AWD as a $1,250 option (usually priced around there for every maker)... which is pretty much all profit.

    Perhaps the strategy is to be more profitable per unit. But they will lose on volume to competitors who are offering AWD.

• Thing is, if they offer AWD they are going to be creeping to close to Lacrosse territory. Especially price wise. I know this car when apples to apples with a FWD Lacrosse will be a couple thousand dollars less. in the neighborhood of 6-9K. Add AWD to the mix and that gap will shrink to the point where someone looking at an impala will say, well for only this little difference I can get a Buick with 20,000km more warranty and these other features, might as-well go with a Buick. I think limiting it to FWD is a smart choice. I live in Canada as you might have guessed with the KM bit, there are many people here who drive a front wheel drive car in the winter with our snow and icy roads, I myself drive a G8 which is RWD and my wife has an 06 G6 GT which is FWD. Yeah sure it would be sweet to have an AWD car but listen, AWD is good for two things, gaining traction from a stop when it is slippery, and for cornering ( even more so if it has a limited slip diff in the back [cts/srx]) On a highway going 110-120kph if you hit a slippery patch AWD isn't really going to do a whole hell of a lot if it is just the standard set up, that's why you have traction control and stability control. With those two features any car is perfect to drive in pretty much every condition other than bombing through fields after it has rained. Use a truck. Having the Impala as a FWD only vehicle is not going to hurt it's sales, the current gen with all its faults is a sales leader, the new gen will smash records still. Man of us might think that GM doesn't always think with both sides of their brains but believe me, i think they know what they are doing here. If it does turn into an issue for them you know that down the road, if they have to or need to, they will add an AWD option to the car to keep it competitive.

• This will easily be something they role out later based on the initial success of the vehicle, should Chevy be all things to everyone, not sure AWD is necessary on this vehicle.

• AWD is rarely seen here in Canada on any car unless it's a Subaru where u don't have the option. Most people here just get snow tires which is better anyways and will save your (Canadian) bacon in most situations.

  • I'll drink to that.

    Since most people here live in cities, AWD is just costly extra. Roads get plowed, sanded, and salted. Put on winter tires with steelie rims, drive a bit slower than the speed limit, keep an extra safe following distance, and a FWD car will do just fine in the winter here.

    • awd doesnt allow someone to drive closer to another driver, or drive faster. awd doesnt help a car stop, i think people with awd/4wd get that mentality and leads to accidents. all too often have a seen 4x4 vehicles in the ditch or up someones ass. when your going 40 down a snow covered road with awd, fwd, or rwd, it's the breaks that stop you. no matter which wheels are driving the car, they all have the same traction patch, awd just uses it more effectively on acceleration and turning.

      my 305hp rwd CTS has never failed me in the winter, and i have driven through some tough shit blizzards and pounded up mountain roads for snowboarding trips.

    • That's easy for us to say. But not so easy for the car salesman who is getting cross-shopped with the competition that offers AWD by consumers who think they're über safe because of it.

      • Good point, its too bad that the public is so misinformed over the benefits of AWD. As someone said above, most people who get in accidents in bad weather are AWD driving people because they think nothings ever going to happen to their car because its AWD.

        But then again the Impala's segment, which is small when fleet sales are excluded(fleet buyers dont care about AWD), arent going to have much buyers who are interested in AWD, as most wont even know or care that the competitors even offer AWD, and the salesman can direct the buyer to the nearest Buick dealership, At least 50% of the buyers who would have bought a AWD impala would buy a AWD lacrosse in the absence of the AWD Impala, so GM really doesnt have much to worry about.

        • Well, yes. But there are two things that kind of nag me about the situation.

          One is that -- unless it's a Chevy-Buick-etc. store -- the salesperson will NOT recommend a LaCrosse. Most salespeople don't care. Nothing against salespeople, just a fact.

          And two is that Chevy is a full-line automaker/brand... yet it's refusing to offer what other full-liners offer. Same goes for not bringing the Cruze Hatch, Cruze Coupe, or a compact crossover to North America. A full-line automaker needs to cater to the mainstream without sizable gaps in its lineup, and Chevy is failing at doing so.

        • Good point again, yes its not optimal that the impala doesnt offer AWD, and I think it should, especially when it is relatively easy to do so.

          Im just saying that the decision not to offer AWD on the impala is not hurting GM and Chevy all that much and its not something that I feel should be on top of GM and Chevys to-do list.

          Youre right I completely overlooked the fact that salespeople are not going to do that, but any well researched buyer looking for an AWD full size sedan will have the lacrosse on their list, so I still think its safe to assume that probably around 50% of those who would buy a AWD impala would buy a AWD lacrosse, as the choices among the full size AWD affordable are so limited as the only real players are GM, Ford, Toyota, and maybe Chrysler(I consider chryslers offerings to be of a different class/segment but ill include them because most of the automative community considers them competitors).

        • Don't be so sure that people will go to Buick if the can't get want they want from Chevy. In my area Buick is still seen as "the old man's car" and you are not to be caught driving one unless you are a card carrying AARP member.

        • @Cactus Maybe it's that way right now, but it won't be for long :)

        • I see lots of young people in Buicks......all age groups will be scooping up these fine cars

        • But then again not many people would like how LaCrosse look and prefer Impala's look if they want AWD. Even though AWD models don't sell that much.

• I agree with all the canadians therereally is no need and they dont need the etra profit cause they will still kick ford, chrysler, toyotas asses in sales thanks to the fleet sales of the continued 9th gen.

• Adding 4wd to a fwd platform adds little to the car and sales. Adding awd on rwd is appreciated, but on fwd a little unnecessary, and for those who it well help buy a lacrosse, if not those people are a small enough segment so that GM doesnt really need to worry about them.

• I think it should be offered not unless they're saving up for TT V6

  • that TT 3.6L is going to sit in the ATS-V and not much else for it's inauguration. XTS might get it, the 6th gen camaro will likely be the first chevrolet model to use it.
    Unless the next gen Commodore intended for NA gets more than just a V8 line up as previously reported

    • I think it'll be in the impala first then the camaro

• I can totally see an 83 year old driving a Regal GS manual with 20's.

  They didn't have those 15 years ago when Buick was designated "The last car you'll ever buy."

• AWD is just a security option makes your car easier to drive on ice but its not fundamental on a luxury car who cares if its front wheel drive and if your the owner of an AWD system car you're not going to shooting by the 7 seas that your car is AWD, who cares its your car and you bought it because its nice not because a damming AWD system.